Our Daily Tasks: Covering and Uncovering

Our Daily Tasks: Covering and Uncovering

The winter wonderland where we grow your veggies.

The winter wonderland where we grow your veggies.
Photo credit: Emily Hammon
Want to join and receive your own share of delicious veggies each week? If you are interested in signing up, please email us at greededgegardens@gmail.com. For more information or to download our Enrollment brochure, visit our website at www.greenedgegardens.com/CSA.

We love sharing our wonderful produce with you! We started this blog so that we can keep you up to date with all that is happening on the farm. It is also an opportunity for all of us to get to know one another better. One of the strengths of a CSA is the direct relationship between the farmer's experience and your experience receiving fresh vegetables weekly.

We want to hear from you, so please feel free to share recipes, thoughts and ideas-just click on the COMMENT below each post to add to our CSA community.

June 30, 2010

Newsletter for Week 3

Newsletter for 6/30 Pickups

So much of our life here on the farm centers around the weather, and what it is or was doing. The telling of the story of the week is hard without at least one or two mentions. But the since today is a real gift of sun with no humidity, enough has been said already. The tomatoes are setting nicely, and it shouldn’t be too long before you have some. The same story holds for summer squashes. They are very close to being ready to begin harvest, so you will have them soon! There may be some repeated information this week as well as recipes from previous years as I spent most of yesterday in the Emergency Room with one of the interns who was not well. Fortunately, all the tests for the REALLY bad stuff were negative, so we’re baffled but happy that today she’s a little better and is definitely on the mend. However, there hasn’t been much ‘make-up’ time for me to finish the newsletter. My apologies. On Monday, we managed to pull everyone together to discuss the plans for OPEN FARM DAY. To help the flow, we decided that having dessert at the Grange is much easier and means we don’t have to split our numbers to set things up. So, we plan to eat (including dessert) around 1:00 pm, then share a little history of the farm, hear a little from our partners, and then off for the farm tours which we will schedule in waves. We hope you can make it! We did have a few glitches the first two weeks at pickups, but they were easily fixed. Thanks for reading the instructions and having patience as these first weeks are always good for a few things we couldn’t anticipate. And another thanks for such a great return of the bags and/or boxes! We hope you have a safe and happy 4th of July and that you get to spend it with friends and/or family.

THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES

Salad Mix - We have a delicious and beautiful array of lettuces that we combine to make this mix. You can find a couple of romaine varieties, red & green leaf lettuces, some butter heads, and others cut and mixed for your salad-eating pleasure throughout the season.

Beets - You can't get much more out of these late spring beauties. Their roots are soooo delicious & sweet and the leaves are vitamin-packed and wonderful sautéed as you might do with any of our greens—a little butter or olive oil and some garlic and onion helps to makes this veggie into a great side dish

Sweet Basil – The official start of summer for us is pesto, and we’ve been enjoying it for several weeks now! We hope you will too! You may also see packages of this in both Columbus Whole Foods. (Look for the Green Edge logo.)

Carrots - So sweet and crunchy, they’ll be hard to resist. You know what to do with these gorgeous late spring gems :)

Mushrooms - Our shiitake mu-shrooms are featured this week. Try them marinated and roasted on the grill, or in a tangy veggie kabob.

Sunflower Microgreens - If you’re not familiar with micro-greens, you are in for a surprise! Unlike sprouts (which are only grown in water), these are grown in soil and therefore im-part the nutritional additions from the soil. These have a mild, almost nutty flavor and are juicy and crunchy.

The Combo Corner
The fruit selections from Cherry Orchard will start in July.

This week’s bread from The Village Bakery and Café is Bo’s Brown Bread.

The cheese share from Integration Acres this week includes Feta and Smokey Goat.



The GREEN BAGS provided by us for you to carry your veggies is actually on loan to you for the season. We have two per member, so please return your GREEN BAG each week that you pick up. We are happy to support the goal for allto use fewer resources. But you need to help by joining with us in the effort to keep the GREEN BAGS in the recycling loop. Thanks so much!


Recipe: Basil Pesto (Makes about 1 ¼ cups)

4 C. packed fresh basil leaves, washed well
½ C. pine nuts, toasted until golden,cooled, and chopped fine
½ C. freshly grated Parme san (about 1½ oz)
2 large garlic cloves, minced ¼ C. plus 3 Tbs. ex-tra-virgin olive oil

Have ready a bowl of ice and cold water. In a saucepan of boiling salted water blanch basil, a handful at a time, 2 seconds, transferring with a slotted spoon to bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain basil in a sieve and pat dry.

In a food processor, purée basil with remaining ingredients until smooth and season with salt and pepper. Pesto may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, its surface covered with plastic wrap.
(Recipe courtesy of Gourmet, September 1996, found at epicurious.com)

Want to Save Some Pesto for Later?
You can make a larger batch and freeze it for later use. The easiest method is to put the pesto in a sandwich bag-gie, cut off one corner and squeeze into ice cube trays. Cover with saran wrap and freeze. Once the pesto cubes are frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag. To thaw, simply toss a cube or two into the food you are cooking, or let sit out to thaw more slowly. You may want to stir in some fresh olive oil as it thaws.


RECIPE: Beets in Savory Yogurt Sauce serves 3-4
6 medium beets
2/3 C. plain yogurt
2 tsp. parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp chives, finely chopped

- Scrub beets and cut off all but an inch or two of tops and roots.

- Cook until tender, about 25 minutes.

- Peel and slice beets, and mix with yogurt and herbs. Heat briefly to warm sauce, or refrigerate and serve chilled.

Note: This sauce is also good with carrots.
From: The Green Thumb Cookbook
Rodale Press, 1977

RECIPE: Beet Salad with Champagne-Tarragon Vinai-grette Serves 4-6

(If you can’t find champagne-tarragon vi-naigrette vinegar, use white vinegar and some fresh tarragon.)

1 Lb. beets, preferably several varieties 6 small yellow potatoes 3 Tbsp cham-tarr vinegar 1/3 C. extra-virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp minced shallots 1 Tbsp minced fresh tarragon 1 Tbsp capers About ½ Lb. fresh baby greens, washed and drained ½ Bulb fennel, trimmed and sliced into thin rings Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Into a 9x13 baking dish, pour ¼ inch of water. Arrange beets in a single layer, cover pan tightly with foil, and bake until beets are tender when pierced with a fork. Remove beets from pan and allow to cool. Then carefully peel and discard skins. (ed. Note: The skins should slip easily from the beets. If they’re cooked, you can use your hands.) Slice beets into ¼-inch thick rounds and reserve. Place potatoes in a large pot filled with salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool. Slice, unpeeled, into ¼-inch think rounds and set aside. Pour vinegar into a small bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil and beat until a thick emulsion is formed. Add shallots, tarragon, and capers. Chill. Arrange greens among serving plates. Distribute beets and potatoes attractively on the greens. Scatter fennel slices over the plates and drizzle with vinaigrette. Sprinkle with salt and pep-per and serve. From: The New American Farm Cookbook ,

Fred and Linda Grif-fith, 1993

June 23, 2010

Newsletter for 6/23 Pickups

Newsletter for 6/23 Pickups
Apologies are given to the full-share folks who received the first delivery last week because this 2nd newsletter is largely a repeat so that everyone has the same information. Welcome to everyone! We are thrilled to have you joining us for this summer’s garden ad-venture.

We are looking forward to delivering the very best our partners and we have to offer! The newest partners to join us are Chris Chmiel & Michelle Gorman from Integration Acres. Chris and Michelle produce many wonderful artisan cheeses from their goats’ milk. Recently, they have been dabbling in cow cheeses from the milk used by Snowville Creamery. We can’t wait to taste them!

Besides welcoming members and partners, we also want to announce our two new drop sites: The Pilates Center of Central Ohio in Dublin and The Clintonville Community Market (aka – the coop). Both of these sites offer a later time of 8:00 pm for pickup. So, if you have friends in those areas who couldn’t swing the logistics before, please let them know about these new locations. Thanks.

If you are a veteran member, now is a great time to look at our newly designed website: www.greenedgegardens.com We’ve added new and more pictures as well as updated information about the partners. In addition to the website, Rob is doing a tremendous job keeping current pictures on the blog: www.greenedgegardens.blogspot.com You can also meet some of your farmers in person at the Upper Arlington Farmers Market on Wednesdays from 3:30-6:30 pm at Mallway Park on Arlington Avenue. And yet another great way to meet your farmers is to join us for the OPEN FARM DAY. July 25th is the date set, and the hours are roughly 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm. We will meet and have a potluck at the Amesville Grange. Around 3:00, we will leave for the farm tour.

On Monday a group of 5 teenagers and their host came to volunteer. What a great crew! And we really needed the help with mulching the summer and winter squash. This year the week-long camp they were attending focused on food sources. Four groups volunteered at different farms in trade for their food for the remainder of the week. Since nothing en-hances the flavor of food like a little sweat equity, we’re sure this will be the best food they have ever eaten! - Becky

THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES

Salad Mix - the summer version of our salad mix consists of at least 6 and sometimes 10 different va-rieties of lettuce. (Notes on the 2nd page.)

Swiss Chard - Chard is the hero of greens. It has the ability to grow in the heat of summer or the cold of winter. Its mild flavor lends itself to almost any dish.

Beets - Baby beets with greens are sweet and tender. Steam, roast, or boil them. Use the greens as you would kale or chard.

Head Lettuce – Tender butterhead (aka bibb) leaves are favorites with customers. Notes on 2nd page.

Sweet Basil – The official start of summer for us is pesto, and we’ve been enjoying it for several weeks now! We hope you will too! You may also see packages of this in both Columbus Whole Foods. (Look for the Green Edge logo.)

Mushrooms - This week the mushrooms are shiitake. Notes on 2nd page.

Sunflower Microgreens - If you’re not familiar with micro-greens, you are in for a surprise! Unlike sprouts (which are only grown in water), these are grown in soil and therefore im-part the nutritional additions from the soil. These have a mild, almost nutty flavor and are juicy and crunchy.


The Combo Corner

The fruit selections from Cherry Orchard will start in July.

This week’s bread from The Village Bakery and Café is the French Galette. I looked up that word and found it meant simply ‘free-form’.

The cheese share from Integration Acres this week includes Feta and Smokey Goat.


PICKUP CONTACT NUMBERS & HOURS

NEW ALBANY – 614-216-9370 3-10pm

TIBET – 614-784-8124 11am-6pm

BEXLEY MARKET-614-252-3951 3-8pm

UPPER ARLINGTON- 614-284-1181 2- 6pm

CLINTONVILLE COOP – 614-261-3663 11 am-8 pm

PLATES STUDIO –DUBLIN - 614-336-9502 4-8 pm

HYACINTH BEAN – 740-594-9302 12-6pm

Please remember to call your host first if problems arise. Since they are closer to you, they can usually resolve the problem. Feel free to call us if the host is unable to help you – 740-448-4021 Thanks!


The GREEN BAGS provided by us for you to carry your veggies are actually on loan to you for the season. We have two per member, so please return your GREEN BAG each week that you pick up. We are happy to support the goal for all to use fewer resources. But you need to help by joining with us in the effort to keep the GREEN BAGS in the recycling loop. If your share comes in a BOX, these should be returned to your site as well.  Thanks so much!


MUSHROOM STORAGE:

Your mushrooms ar-rive in a paper bag. They will store nicely there for up to a week, sometimes longer. Placing them in a paper bag inside of a plastic bag will keep them moist. Without the plastic bag, they may simply dry themselves in the re-frigerator. You can simp-ly re-hydrate them in a soup or sauce. Today you have received shiitake (bold flavor) mushrooms. The cooking method used for either can be the same, however, the cook-ing time for the oysters is shorter than the shiitake. Both shiitake and oyster stems are tough, but flavorful. Instead of composting them, put them in a small saucepan with salted water and simmer for 1-2 hours. Strain the broth and place it in a container that can be frozen. After the broth is frozen, pop it out of the container and place in a plastic bag in the freezer with other frozen broth cubes. They make great starters for soups, sauces, and many other things. The softened stems can now be used or composted. I’ve heard of and done both.

SALAD MIX
Our salad mix in summer is all lettuce. Usually a blend of at least 6 varieties up to as many as 10, the types are chosen for their ability to grow and not become bitter in the heat. To keep as fresh as possible, keep it cold, away from the air. Placing a cloth or paper towel in the bag can help by absorbing extra water - keeping the moisture in, but away from the leaves. It is washed & ready.
 
SWEET BASIL

Sweet basil is a true harbinger of summer. Its requirement of 70o F soil temperature usually makes it tricky to establish early without the use of heat. To keep basil from developing those little black spots on the leaves, keep the basil out of the refrigerator. A temperature of 50o F is as cold as basil wants to tolerate. We keep it on the counter in a glass of water (change it regularly). If for some reason you can’t use all of the fresh, try drying some for use this winter. You can buy dryers. I know many people who love theirs. I use a loosely woven cloth placed in a loosely woven basket. I put this on top of the frig towards the back where the warm, exchanged air is discharged. In 2-3 weeks, the leaves are dry and easily crumbled into a jar for storage in a dark place.

HEAD LETTUCE

The lettuces are dunked and cooled quickly. They are definitely not washed and ready to eat. You may choose to wash leaves as used or all at once. Either way, placing a slightly damp paper towel or cloth in the bag will keep them fresh and moist while the absorbing excess moisture.

RECIPE:  Spicy Greens and Onion Dip


2 Tbsp oil

1 small red or yellow onion, chopped

1-4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

8 cups of seasonal greens (kale, beet greens, collards, etc)

½ cup water, stock, or dry white wine

Juice and zest of a lemon

1 Tbsp honey

2-3 Tbsp cashew butter or peanut butter

Salt and pepper to taste.

Heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add oil, onion and garlic, and sauté until onions are soft and garlic is lightly browned. Mix in greens, stir and add stock, wine or water. Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes or until greens are very soft. Check often to make sure there is enough liquid; add a small amount of water if necessary. Remove from heat and place the mixture in a blender. Add lemon zest and juice, honey and cashew or peanut butter and puree until smooth and creamy. Blend in salt and pepper to taste. Makes about 1 ½ cups.
From Mother Earth News, April/May 2007

You can find many more useful recipes on the blog in the archives of past CSA seasons. They are arranged by year – just point and click. Like this newsletter, the reci-pes are on the 2nd page.

OPEN FARM DAY Sunday July 25 1-5 pm
Mark your calendars and save the date!       

June 18, 2010

Week 2 Veggie List

Veggies for Week 2:
Pickup 6/23

Salad Mix
Beets OR Carrots
Swiss Chard
Basil
Shiitake Mushrooms
Sunflower Microgreens
Head Lettuce

June 16, 2010

Week #1 June 16 , 2010
Welcome to everyone! We are thrilled to have you joining us for this summer’s adventure in(from?) the garden. We are looking forward to delivering the very best our partners and we have to offer! The newest partners to join us are Chris Chmiel & Michelle Gorman from Integration Acres. Chris and Michelle produce many wonderful artisan cheeses from their goats’ milk. Recently, they have been dabbling in cow cheeses from the milk used by Snowville Creamery. We can’t wait to taste them!
Besides welcoming members and partners, we also want to announce our two new drop sites: The Pilates Center of Central Ohio in Dublin and The Clintonville Community Market (aka – the coop). Both of these sites offer a later time of 8:00 pm for pickup. So, if you have friends in those areas who couldn’t swing the logistics before, please let them know about these new ones. Thanks. If you are a veteran member, now is a great time to look at our newly designed website: www.greenedgegardens.com We’ve added new and more pictures as well as updated information about the partners. You can also meet some of your farmers in person at the Upper Arlington Farmers Market on Wednesdays from 3:30-6:30 pm at Mallway Park on Arlington Avenue. And yet another great way to meet your farmers is to join us for the OPEN FARM DAY. July 25th is the date set, and the hours are roughly 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm. We will meet and have a potluck at the Amesville Grange. Around 3, we will leave to tour the farm where we will have dessert. The spring and early summer continue to be different from any others. We were for-tunate to be able to take advantage of the dry April to turn some of the fields. May proved wetter and chillier than usual which delayed some of the plantings for a while. All and all, the plantings look amazing; the tomatoes have fruit; and, the fencing is done for this season.
From all of us at Green Edge,
Becky (Kip, Dan, John, Rob, Cale, Julia, Penny, Martin, Guinivere, Morgan, and, and Maria)

THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES

Beets - Baby beets with greens are sweet and tender. Steam, roast, or boil them. Use the greens as you would kale or chard.
Radishes - Easter Egg Radishes are multi-colored, crunchy, and tangy. These are almost gone with the warmer weather, and we’re glad to still have some to share with you. Notes on 2nd page.
Head Lettuce – One red head (Red Cross) and one green head (Green Butterhead) are yours this week. Tender butterhead (aka bibb) leaves are favorites with customers. Notes on 2nd page.
Kale – One of our all-time favorite greens! This versatile taste treat won’t be with us for long as it pre-fers cooler temperatures. Recipe on 2nd page.
Sweet Basil – The official start of summer for us is pesto, and we’ve been enjoying it for several weeks now! We hope you will too! You may also see packages of this in both Columbus Whole Foods. (Look for the Green Edge logo.)
Dill - This aromatic and flavorful herb is good chopped fresh in sal-ad, on fish, or in a dip just to name a few of its versatile uses.
Mushrooms - This week’s mushrooms are either shiitake or any of the three oyster mushrooms (yellow, white, or blue) that we grow. Notes on 2nd page.
Sunflower Microgreens - If you’re not familiar with micro-greens, you are in for a surprise! Unlike sprouts (which are only grown in water), these are grown in soil and therefore im-part the nutritional additions from the soil. These have a mild, almost nutty flavor and are juicy and crunchy.


The Combo Corner

The fruit selections from Cherry Orchard will start in July.
This week’s bread from The Village Bakery and Café is Buttermilk Whole Wheat.
The cheese share from Integration Acres this week includes Feta and Chevre’ .
The milk share is not usually mentioned here since each member orders the type of milk wanted.


PICKUP CONTACT NUMBERS & HOURS

NEW ALBANY – 614-216-9370 3-10pm
TIBET – 614-784-8124 3-6pmBEXLEY MARKET-614-252-3951 3-8pm
UPPER ARLINGTON- 614-284-1181 2- 6pm
CLINTONVILLE COOP – 614-261-3663 11 am-8 pm
PLATES STUDIO –DUBLIN - 614-336-9502 4-8 pm
HYACINTH BEAN – 740-594-9302 12-6pm

Please remember to call your host first if problems arise. Since they are closer to you, they can usually resolve the problem. Feel free to call us if the host is unable to help you – 740-448-4021 Thanks!

The GREEN BAGS provided by us for you to carry your veggies is actually on loan to you for the season. We have two per member, so please return your GREEN BAG each week that you pick up. We are happy to support the goal for all to use fewer resources. But you need to help by joining with us in the effort to keep the GREEN BAGS in the recycling loop. Thanks so much!

MUSHROOM STORAGE:
Your mushrooms arrive in a paper bag. They will store nicely there usually for up to a week. Placing them in a paper bag inside of a plastic bag will keep them moist. Without the plastic bag, they may simply dry themselves in the refrigerator. You can simply re-hydrate them in a soup or sauce. Today you have received wither shiitake (bold flavor) or oyster (mild and delicate). The cooking method used for either can be the same, how-ever, the cooking time for the oysters is shorter than the shiitake. The shiitake and oyster stems are tough, but flavorful. Instead of composting them, put them is a small saucepan with salted water and simmer for 1-2 hours. Strain the broth and place it in a container than can be frozen. After the broth is frozen, pop it out of the container and place in a plastic bag in the freezer with other frozen broth cubes. They make great starters for soups, sauces, and many other things. The softened stems can now be used or com-posted. I’ve heard and done both.

SWEET BASIL

Sweet basil is a true harbinger of sum-mer. Its requirement of 70o F soil temperature usually makes it tricky to establish early without the use of heat. To keep basil from developing those little black spots on the leaves, keep the basil out of the refrigerator. A temperature of 50o F is as cold as basil wants to tolerate. We keep it on the counter in a glass of water (change it regularly). If for some reason you can’t use all of the fresh, try drying some for use this winter. You can buy dryers. I know many people who love theirs. I use a loosely woven cloth placed in a loosely woven basket. I put this on top of the frig towards the back where the warm, exchanged air is discharged. In 2-3 weeks, the leaves are dry and easily crumbled into a jar for storage in a dark place.

HEAD LETTUCES

The lettuces are dunked and cooled quickly. They are definitely not washed and ready to eat. You may choose to wash leaves as used or all at once. Either way, placing a slightly damp paper towel or cloth in the bag will keep them fresh and moist while the absorbing excess moisture.

Those of you who were with us this winter will recognize the recipe below as a repeat, but it’s just so simple and good that I had to include it now since kale won’t be with much longer. Savor this….
MASSAGED KALE
Wash and dry the kale. De-stem the kale. You can save the stems for later sautéing. Tear the kale leaves into bite-sized pieces and place in bowl. Drizzle the kale with olive oil, honey, and either lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Place both hands in the bowl and begin to ‘massage’ the kale. The acid from the lemon juice (or vinegar) reacts with the broken leaves and causes them to wilt and taste and appear cooked. It’s a remarkable dish. Ready in no time. Additions and enhance-ments that the farm crew has tried include dried cranberries, toasted sesame seeds, walnuts, and even more that I don’t remember but were great too!


Radishes - Kip came up from the packing barn this afternoon and announced that he had made a discovery about radishes and more importantly, How To Tell If They Are Bad…. He says that the ones that are not good will sink to the bottom of the water in the sink. Or from the other angle, the good ones float.
Three customers at market in the last two weeks have told us about roasted radishes. We have not tried them that way yet, but those folks were adamant about the flavor. If you try it before we do, let us know. Send us your recipe or post your recipe for them on the blog:www.greenedgegardens.blogspot.com

June 14, 2010

Veggie List for Week 1

Veggie List for Week 1:
Pickups 6/16 & 6/18

Beets
Radishes
Head Lettuce
Swiss Chard or Kale
Basil
Dill
Mushrooms
Sunflower Microgreens