Welcome one and all to the 2nd week of the Winter 2011 season. With this week, a special welcome to all of the Columbus Half-share folks. We’re thrilled and thankful to be here with you again. We are also thrilled to announce that we are completely full! We are now entering people onto our Waiting List! Hopefully you have received your confirmation letter in the post. Please read it with care as there are many topics discussed, and you will find the answers to the most-often-asked questions. Also, please let us know if your share descrip-tion is wrong. These letters are our way of double-checking with you; we may just have sent the wrong letter by mistake, but if you don’t tell us, we can’t fix it.
Also, think of your share in terms of ‘Athens’ or ‘Columbus’, and then as ‘full’ or ‘half’-share. Many of our messages will define folks by those terms, so it’s good to know which group you are in. Thanks so much. As before, your newsletter will be emailed to you every Wednesday morning, and can also be found on the blog: www.greenedgegardens.blogspot.com We update the pictures weekly, so check out your veggies and the crew. If you prefer NOT to receive the newsletter by email, just let us know and we’ll be happy to remove your ad-dress from the list. Since this is just the 2nd delivery and newsletter for this season, we wanted to include reminders about some upcoming dates:
There are no deliveries for the dates of December 22nd and December 29th.
Deliveries resume:
January 5th - ALL Full-Shares Cols. & Athens; Cols. Half-Shares
January 8th - Athens Farmers Mkt Full
January 12th- Athens Half-shares HyB.
January 15th – Athens Mkt Half-shares
The drastic drop in temperatures this week has thrown the crew into hyper-winter mode. Constant monitoring of projected temperatures and precipitation rules the work. Daily covering and uncovering of the greenhouses takes 2 people at least 45 minutes for either of these tasks.
From all of us at Green Edge,
Becky (Kip, Dan, John, Rob, Cale, Julia, Penny, and Guinevere)
THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES
Butternut Squash – These win-ter squash are just bursting with flavor. They can be a little daunt-ing to handle, but the insides are definitely worth it.
Potatoes - Kennebec is the va-riety of potato in the shares this week. They are a ‘full-service’ potato – bake, boil, steam, or fry.
Salad Mix – In the mix this week are 7 varieties of lettuce, mizuna, and pe-tsai. The last two are mild Asian greens. This mix is best stored in an air-tight container with some paper towel or cloth to absorb any extra drops of water that can form.
Tatsoi – Tatsoi is a mild Asian green. We have put the thinnings in salad mix, but now they are grown and can be used as any other green. The stems are tender enough to eat raw, so when cook-ing these, don’t expect it to take a long time.
Pe-tsai – You may recognize this green in a smaller size in the salad mix. Very mild and juicy, try it in a broth soup like miso, or just cook it as a green. Recipe on page 2.
Arugula - This versatile green can be used raw in salads or steamed. Its pep-pery flavor will delight or disgust. Recipe on pg. 2
Mushrooms - The meaty consistency of this mushroom and its distinct flavor combine to make it a real crowd pleaser. Whether in an omelet or on a steak or marinated raw, its versatility is renown. Storage information on the 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
This week’s bread from The Village Bakery and Café is the French GaletteThe 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 12-8 pm
TIBET – 614-784-8124 12 pm-6 pm
BEXLEY MARKET-614-252-3951 3-8 pm
UPPER ARLINGTON 614-506-3086 4-8 pm *new location; see address in letter
CLINTONVILLE COOP – 614-261-3663 2-8 pm
PLATES –DUBLIN - 614-336-9502 4-8 pm
HYACINTH BEAN – 740-594-9302 1-6 pm
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!
Mushroom Storage
When you find your mushrooms, note whether they have come to you in paper or plastic. If they are in paper, then simply put that bag in a plastic bag to keep their moisture. However, if you worry that you won’t use them in time, don’t use the plastic and keep them in the paper bag in the crisper drawer of the frig. This way simply lets them dry. Basically, excess moisture can cause them to decay much quicker. The length of time you keep them is also critical. I have found paper bags of (now dried) mushrooms weeks after I put them in the drawer. They were dry, but still worked well in sauces and stir-frys.
Recipes
MISO SOUP WITH CABBAGE (Pe-tsai), CARROTS, AND MUSHROOMS
Chopped onions (6 scallions?)
Chopped garlic (4 buds?)
Chopped celery (2 stalks?)
Stock, broth, or water (1/3 cup?)
Sauté veggies in small amount of stock, broth or water until onions caramelize and liquid nearly eva-porates (about 12 minutes in my microwave - check often), stovetop works fine too.
Use a 2 quart pot.
1 head Napa cabbage or Pe-tsai, chopped in big pieces (2" x width of leaf)
thin diagonally sliced carrots (10 tiny ones?)
4 oz of sliced fresh shitake caps
4 cups stock, broth, or water
Add these to sautéed veggies and simmer until cabbage is not quite done (you're going to cook some more in the next step and want it a little crunchy when you're all done).
8 tablespoons cornstarch
water as necessary to dissolve it
Mix till smooth, add a little hot liquid from soup, and return to soup pot. Simmer until it thickens. (I think I could have used more cornstarch here so it would have thickened more quickly.
2 big tablespoons miso (I used Mellow Red Miso, but I bet any salty or mellow miso would be good. If you are unfamiliar with the intensity of your kind of miso, you might start with one tablespoon!)
Thin miso with water, gradually stirring until you have a liquid (no lumps!), then stir into soup. Cook one minute. Do not boil.
Add a jolt of balsamic vinegar (or something else! or nothing) and serve this with fresh bread or cornbread - unbelievable!
Makes 4 good-sized servings with under 1 gram fat each.
~from fatfree.com
Linguine with Arugula, Pine Nuts, and Parmesan Cheese
1 pound linguine
½ cup olive oil
4 ounces arugula, trimmed
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup pine nuts, toasted
additional freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1. Cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add arugula and stir until just wilted, about 30 seconds. Re-move from heat.
3. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add arugula and toss well. Add 1 cup Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste; toss well.
4. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Serve immediately, adding additional Parmesan, if desired.
~from seasonalchef.com
ARUGULA, BLUE CHEESE & LEMON SIDE SALAD
At last Saturday’s market in Athens, one of our customers told us about a wonderful and simple way to enjoy arugula. Wash, dry, and chop the arugula leaves. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Toss in some crumbled blue cheese. So, I tried it. WOW! I made it again and tried to come up with some idea of quantities:
1 bunch of arugula, chopped
¼ Cup crumbled blue cheese
1-2 Tbl olive oil, drizzled 1-2 Tbl lemon juice, drizzled
One interesting thing about this vegetable is the three separate reactions from the 3 people who shared this dish. One of us could taste nothing but the lemon juice, another could only taste the arugula, and another, thought the ratio very balanced. I guess this is what makes cooking so challenging.
WILTED TATSOI
Tatsoi is very similar to spinach in texture and cooking – a little heat can go a long way. Try these savory leaves with a little sesame oil and garlic in the skillet. Sauté garlic with the sesame oil, then add a little mustard and some dashes of vinegar. Whisk together to blend a little sauce. Then add the tatsoi stems and leaves. Simmer for a few minutes until the tatsoi is tender-crisp. Serve over rice or as a side dish by itself
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