9/15/2009

CSA Newsletter
September 15, 2009

History celebrated the battle-fields where on we meet our death, but scorns to speak of the ploughed fields whereby we thrive; it knows the names of the king’s bastards, but cannot tell the origin of wheat. That is the way of human folly.
J.H. Fabre, The Wonders of Instinct

The Harvest
¾# salad mix
½# spinach or stir fry (we’re slowly getting ya’ll the spinach….)
¼# arugula
1.5 oz basil
1 bunch carrots
Squash
Pepper (hot, sweet or mild)
1 bunch herbs
Potatoes (you might get All-Blue, All-Red, German Butterball, Fingerling,
Yukon Gold or a mix)
2 bulbs Garlic
Not everyone will get all of the following:
Tomatoes –check the board
U-Pick – check the board
Edible flowers
Eggplant
Radish (it’s time for radish again!)
Cabbage

- Garlic and Potatoes will be around the sinks somewhere – don’t forget them!!
- The arugula is pretty wet this week because of yesterday’s rain. I would recommend giving it a good dry before you put it away.


Nutrition Tip (from Becca this week)
Thyme: Thyme has been used for many centuries in folk remedies for respiratory ailments, as a mouthwash, and in antimicrobial topical ointments. Current studies show that thyme has an abundance of volatile oils -specifically thymol, which supports healthy functioning of brain, kidney, and heart cell membranes. These oils are also high in antimicrobial activity. Other current studies reveal a high percentage of flavonoids (antioxidants), as well as significant amounts of manganese, iron, calcium, and dietary fiber. Thyme has been used in food preservation techniques because of its antimicrobial qualities. These qualities also seem to decontaminate foods as well – making a vinaigrette with you thyme will not only boost your own health, but will also ensure clean food. Thyme is a great add to beans, eggs, and vegetable dishes.

The News
We’ll be pulling out most of the peppers and eggplant this week. It’s time to start getting this greenhouse ready for the next production season (winter greens). We have to start now because I also have to get some cover crops into these beds as well – lot’s to grow and not enough time! I know many of you did not get an eggplant this year….I join you in that. The aphids this spring really put a damper on our eggplant crop. I hope we do better with eggplant next year. These are probably the last peppers you can expect for the season as well.

The Recipe
Stuffed zucchini recipe with bread crumbs and seasonings.
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
· 2 medium zucchini, about 1 pound
· 2 tablespoons butter
· 1 clove garlic, minced
· 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
· 2 cups soft bread cubes
· 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
· salt and pepper
Preparation:
Wash zucchini; cook whole in a small amount of boiling water for about 8 minutes. Drain and cut into halves lengthwise. Scoop out pulp; chop. Melt butter in a heavy skillet, sauté garlic and onion for a minute, or until onion is tender; stir in chopped zucchini pulp, bread cubes, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Stuff zucchini with bread mixture. Place zucchini in a greased baking dish and bake at 350° for 20 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.Recipe for stuffed zucchini serves 4.

Cheese and Chives Potato Casserole
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
· 4 cups cubed potatoes
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 1 cup milk
· 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
· 1 tablespoon chopped chives
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1/4 teaspoon pepper
· 1 clove garlic
· paprika
· chopped chives for garnish(optional)
Preparation:
Cook potatoes with 1 teaspoon salt in boiling water to cover 15 minutes or until tender; drain. Place cooked potatoes in a shallow, lightly greased 2-quart casserole. Heat milk and cream cheese in a medium saucepan, stirring until cheese is melted. Add chives, salt, pepper, and garlic; pour over potatoes. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with paprika and more chives, if desired.Cheese and chives potato casserole serves 4 to 6.

That’s all for this week! I sincerely hope that next week’s letter will be coming from Lorin……I hope I’m busy doing something else……
See you tomorrow between 8-6.
Daisy

9/08/2009

CSA Newsletter
September 9th, 2009

I think the true gardener is a lover of his flowers, not a critic of them. I think the true gardener is the reverent servant of Nature, not her truculent, wife-beating master. I think the true gardener, the older he grows, should more and more develop a humble, grateful and uncertain spirit. ~Reginald Farrer, In a Yorkshire Garden, 1909

The Harvest
¾# salad mix
½# spinach or stir fry
¼# arugula
2 oz basil
1 bunch beets
1 bunch carrots
1 bunch leeks
1.5# potatoes (All Red and German Butterball)
Garlic (Georgian Crystal)
Summer Squash (Early Yellow Crookneck, Flying Saucer Patty Pan, Zyphyr or
Cashflow)
Jalapeno
Not everyone will get the following:
Sweet Bell Pepper
Heirloom Tomatoes (check the board)
U-Pick (check the board)
Eggplant
Cucumber

Nutritional Tip
The humble potato is the 4th largest food crop grown in the world. Genetic testing has indicated that all varieties come from a single origin in Southern Peru. Thousands of varieties persist throughout the Andes, although China is now the world’s largest potato producing country.
The nutrients in potatoes are pretty evenly spread between the skin and the flesh (so for maximum effect eat with the skins on). Almost all of the protein in a potato is contained in a thin layer just under the skin (so again, for maximum effect eat with the skins on). A medium size potato with skin on will give you a good percentage of your daily allowance of vitamin C, potassium and B6, and contains trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, niacin, magnesium, phosphorous, iron, and zinc.

The News
You’ve probably noticed that we are putting in a new field at Copper Moose. Another acre of beds should be ready to go for next summer. It’s a decent process getting a new field up and ready. Obviously the fence and irrigation are a big deal (thanks Craig, Tor, Jason, Lorin, Rob, and GW), but getting the soil ready to go is also a process. Lots of time in the tractor is an integral part, but spraying compost tea and biodynamic preps onto the land is also a big part. One more watering and then one more tilling of the first part of that field, and it will be ready to go into cover crop until next spring. I’ll let the roots of the cover crop do a lot of the work loosening up the subsoil in those beds, and then will incorporate those cover crops into the soil to help increase organic matter. Generally our soil is very good, but a bit low on organic matter. The main reason it’s low on organic matter is because this land has been hayed for decades. Bailing the grass and taking it off the land obviously does not leave much organic matter for the soil. Cover crops and compost are two great ways to increase organic matter. When you add the use of compost tea and biodynamic preps (which both add the microbial population to the soil needed to break down the organic matter), and you’ve got a recipe for repair!

The Recipe
Gratin of Potato and Summer Squash with Herbes be Provence
(taken from the Gardener’s Community Cookbook)

¼ cup olive oil 1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled 2 tsp Herbes de Provence
¾# summer squash 1 tsp salt
sliced 1/8” thick ¼ tsp black pepper
1# red potatoes, scrubbed ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
and sliced 1/8” thick

Herbes de Provence – equal amounts of dried rosemary, thyme, sage, summer savory and bay mixed with a little less of lavender flowers and fennel seed.

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 12X9 inch baking dish.
Combine the oil and garlic in a small pot and simmer together for 2 minutes. Set aside for 15 minutes for the garlic to infuse the oil. Remove and discard the garlic.
In the baking dish, make 2 layers of the squash, potatoes, and onion, sprinkling each layer with the herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper. Top with the cheese and drizzle the oil over.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 1 hour, or until the potatoes are tender. Let stand for 10 minutes, then serve right away or at room temperature.

That’s all for this week – see you tomorrow between 8-6.
Daisy

9/01/2009

CSA Newsletter
September 1, 2009

Despite the gardener's best intentions, Nature will improvise. ~Michael P. Garafalo

Wow, September 1st, is it possible?

The Harvest
1# salad greens
½# spinach or Swiss chard
¼# arugula
2 oz basil
1 bunch beets
1 bunch herbs
Not everyone will get all of the following:
Yukon Gold Potatoes - check the board
Summer Squash
Cabbage
Tomatoes - check the board
Peppers
Eggplant
Cucumber (don't forget that one of our varieties is called Lemon - and that's what it looks like)
1 bunch carrots

Potatoes - just a reminder that potatoes do not go in the fridge, so they will not be in you boxes. Check the white board, if your name is on there for potatoes you will find potatoes in a box near the sinks, labeled. Take 1 bag per membership. If you split a membership make sure to leave the ½ bag of potatoes with your share partners name on it so they know which one to take.
This week the potato variety is Yukon Gold. Some consider Yukon Gold's to be the best eating potato. They have a medium dry, golden, buttery tasting flesh that is best baked or boiled. They also store very well. Enjoy!

Nutrition Tip
Eggplant - The eggplant is in the solanaceae family, along with tomatoes, potatoes, and tobacco! The seeds are bitter when raw because of the nicotinoid alkaloids they contain. Eating 20# of eggplant would give you the same amount of nicotine as is in one cigarette.
The plant is a perennial but is most often grown as an annual. The fruit is botanically classified as a berry.
When eaten raw they can taste bitter, but once cooked they take on a tender, complex flavor. Eggplant can be stewed, roasted, deep fried, grilled, stuffed, and, I am sure, much more.

The News
It was so great to see you all on Sunday. What a fabulous potluck - and only due to the great company and the INCREDIBLE dishes you all brought. Seriously, you all went to town on your contributions, and it was gorgeous! Thank you so much for coming. I know it felt like our end of the season bash, but we really have probably 6 more weeks of the season to go. It's not over yet!
As with last year, I would love to get all your recipes to send out to everyone at the end of the season (and get them on our website). So please email me the recipe for you dish or dishes. They may not be put together as fancily as last year...feels like there is a little too much going on this fall.....but I will get them compiled, with the appropriate credits, and out to you all.

The Recipe

Ginger Sesame Eggplant (From the Quail Hill Farm Cookbook)
Coat one medium eggplant with olive oil and roast at 400 until soft. Allow to cool, then peel, chunk into ½" dice, and mix with any juices. Combine 1 clove of finely chopped or pureed garlic and 1 Tbsp peeled fresh ginger and 1 Tbsp sesame oil. Sauté together until translucent. Toss with the eggplant chunks and season with ¼ tsp hot sauce, 1 Tbsp rice vinegar, ½ tsp sugar, soy sauce to taste and 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro. Serve warm or cold.

Arugula Salad with Corn and Cherry Tomatoes
Combine 1.5 cups fresh corn kernels, 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved, 1 small red onion, chopped and 1/5 cups arugula leaves, roughly chopped, stems removed. In a separate bowl mix 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1/3 cup olive oil, salt and pepper. Add ½ cup of crumbled feta cheese. Pour dressing over salad and garnish with pine nits and more feta cheese.

Hope you are having a fabulous start to the new month, and we'll see you tomorrow between 8-6.
Daisy

8/25/2009

CSA Newsletter
August 25, 2009

Microbes in a healthy acre of soil will weigh as much as an average sized cow.
Hands on Agronomy by Neil Kinsey and Charles Walters

The Harvest
1# salad mix
½# stir fry mix
1 bunch carrots
1 bunch beets
1 small bunch leeks (a teaser)
Garlic bulb (not cured, not cleaned, fresh out of the ground!)
1 bunch herbs
Not everyone will get all of the following:
Cabbage (Red Express (red leaves), Famosa (curly leaves, it’s a Savoy cabbage) or Copenhagen Market (more of your standard blue-green heads))
1# potatoes – check the board
Cucumber
Squash
Tomatoes – check the board
U-Pick – check the board
Edible Flowers
Eggplant
Peppers

Leeks – The variety this week is King Richard. This is a little sampler bunch, more to follow in a couple weeks. Leeks will store best in the fridge in a plastic bag.
Garlic – All of the garlic is out of the ground now and curing. As I mentioned two weeks ago, after it has cured we will go through it all, clean it, and select the best for seed for next year’s crop. Then we’ll start sending lots of beautiful, clean garlic home with you all. The variety this week is Wild Rocambole.
Potatoes – The potatoes this week are called La Ratte, they are a fingerling type potato. Potatoes should never go into the refrigerator, hence they will not be in your boxes, and they will be out in the main room in a box. Potatoes need to stay out of direct light so that they do not turn green. The green is a chemical called Solanine that is made by the potato when in direct sunlight or artificial light. In very high doses solanine can be poisonous to humans. If you have a little green spot on your potato, just cut that section of the potato off – the rest of it is good to eat.
When potatoes are stored at too cool temperatures the starches in them turn into sugars – although this may sound tasty, it doesn’t work out. So, store you potatoes in a cool (not cold), dark spot. A paper bag on your counter should work just fine for short term storage. For longer storage a paper bag in the basement or cool garage would be better.

Nutrition Tip (from Becca)
Leeks: Leeks are native to Central Asia and have been cultivated there and in Europe for thousands of years. Throughout history, the leek has held an esteemed position in the vegetable world. Aristotle credited his clear voice to leeks. Nero, a Roman emperor, used leeks to make his voice strong. Leeks also star as Wales’ national emblem.

Leeks are a member of the allium family, but have a more delicate and sweet taste then there relatives the garlic, onion, and scallion. Many studies reveal that alliums reduce bad (LDL) cholesterol levels, are proactive in fighting cancer cells, and help to stabilize blood sugar. Leeks are a perfect add to soups, casseroles, roasted vegetables or make a fantastic side on their own when grilled.

The News
We’re looking forward to celebrating the season with you all this Sunday at the CSA Potluck (Sunday August 30th from 5-8). It looks like we have some incredible dishes coming! As you know, our parking is a bit limited, if you can walk or ride your bike, great, if not, most of the parking is going to be out in the field before you get to the greenhouse. We will make sure to sign it well.
Because I have put requested ingredients in some of your boxes for the potluck, if you split a share you may want to check with your partner to make sure you are not taking their ingredients.
This is the last CSA distribution of August and our 14th distribution of the season – hard to believe! I predict that the season will continue into the first few weeks of October, but weather will ultimately determine that. I’ll keep you posted as we get closer.
The new “barn” kitties have adjusted well to life on the farm. They seem to spend their nights out and about, as they always greet us very early in the morning, and then proceed to sleep most of the day. We have seen them catch quite a few mice and voles already, and Lorin and I praise them like proud parents. They have gotten over their fear of the chickens, and now go in and out of the duck house at will – which is good since that’s where their accommodations are (the carpeted 2nd story of the duck house, very luxurious). All in all we are completely attached even though we know we shouldn’t be because they are “barn” kitties. Either way, it’s great to have their playful personalities ripping around the farm.

The Recipe
Spicy Coleslaw
(Chez Panisse Vegetable Cookbook)
Great with anything BBQ’d or fried.

For every 4 cups of sliced cabbage (cored, quartered and sliced into 1/8” strips), add 1 diced small red onion, 1 thinly sliced jalapeno pepper (with seeds and veins removed), juice of 1 lime, 1 tbsp white balsamic or wine vinegar, ¼ cup olive oil, the leaves from a good –sized bunch of cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss it all together and let marinate for 1 hour. Serve at room temperature. Serves 3-4.

Stuffed Cabbage (From Quail Hill Farm Cookbook)
Remove the leaves from 1 large Savoy cabbage and soften for several minutes in boiling water. Drain.
FILLING: boil 2 cups basmati rice in water for 10 minutes. Rinse and drain. Meanwhile sauté until golden 1 to 2 thinly sliced onions and 1# sliced mushrooms in 2 Tbsp olive oil. Toss with drained rice, and season with paprika, pepper, and salt. Place 2-3 Tbsp rice mixture in the center of each leaf and roll, tucking the sides into the center to form a package. Pack the finished rolls tightly together in an ovenproof dish. Cover with broth or water and 1 cup tomato juice, 1 Tbsp grated horseradish and a few dashes of Tabasco sauce. Bake covered at 350 until the rice is cooked and the cabbage is very tender, about 1.5 hours. Serve hot or warm.

That’s all for this week. See you tomorrow between 8-6.
Daisy