Week 5 Newsletter

Athens Hills CSA
Another whirlwind week is passing! Crops that were scarce just a week ago have exploded with bounty. Squashes especially are filling all of the little niches in the walk-in coolers. The salad mix has almost recovered from the heavy harvesting after the last monster storm. Many other crops are almost at the explosion level. And we can’t wait. After such a hard and slow spring, this is a welcome bounty. It also explains why the ‘extras’ boxes at each of the pickup sites have squash in them again. I’ll try to include some imaginative dishes that use them. Also this week, we have purchased onions from another local organic grower. Our soil makes growing these treasures practically impossible, but we include them so you can savor a really fresh onion. Finally, the task of weeding the sweet potatoes and winter squashes is complete. Before another crop of weeds comes on, the leaves of the veggies will cover the soil, which will help to prevent much of the germination of new weed seeds. This task took many man hours, but the difference it makes in the yield of the plants more than pays for itself. This summer we have proof positive of the effectiveness of using ‘trap’ plants. The cucumber beetles are virtually ignoring the other cucurbits like summer squashes. (The cucumbers aren’t too happy though.) Several folks have asked us about canning tomatoes. We think that we will have those available starting around the middle of August. If you are interested in large quantities of basil for making a winter supply of pesto, let us know because we certainly have that available too. Just let us know the quantity you need and we can tell you when they (basil and/or tomatoes) will be ready for delivery. Our days recently have been starting very early so that the crew can avoid the brutality of the hot afternoon sun. Some days are more successful than others, and the pop-up showers can be instantly cooling, yet eventually stifling due to the increased humidity. If you are in our area and want to visit (especially since the postponement of the Open Farm Day) just give a call to make sure someone to guide you will be available. Come on down! From all of us at Green Edge,
Becky (Kip, Dan, John, Maria, Kurt, Rob, Marie, Penny, Guinevere, Diedra, Bethany, and Janell)


THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES
Salad Mix – In the mix this week are 7 varieties of lettuce, This mix is best stored in an air-tight con-tainer with some paper towel or cloth to absorb any extra drops of water that can form.
Mushrooms - The mushrooms this week are shiitake. Their flavor and texture are distinctive. Use the caps in soups, stir-frys, grilling shish-kabobs, and much more. Get even more value by simmering the stems in salted water for about 1 ½ hours, straining the broth for later use by freezing, and then chopping the stems to add to a savory dish..
Swiss Chard – This green is the summer stand-by. Verstaile, mild, and nutritious with a low glycemic load although a little high in sodium. Stir-fry or sauté are just a few of its uses.
Sunflower Microgreens - If you’re not familiar with micro-greens, you are in for a surprise! These have a mild, almost nutty flavor and are juicy and crunchy.
Onions – From another local or-ganic grower, these are as fresh as can be. Sweet, not hot -  try them sliced thinly into a salad. Yummy!
Sweet Basil -Week #1 newsletter talks some of pesto making and different ingredients that can be used to make this herbal ‘paste’ for dipping, pasta sauce or a spread for bread.
Parsley – Parsley is one of our most popular herbs. Use it in sal-ads, soups, sautéed veggies. The list of uses is almost endless….
Summer Squash – There is about 3 lb. in the bag this week. We grow several varieties. Look on the blog for pictures of each with the name.

The Combo Corner
A note from the orchard: Dear CSA Members, We are looking forward to serving you again this year with a share of fresh fruit. Our fruit crop looks good this year. We are beginning the season with early tree ripened Red Haven Peaches. A few tart early apples named Lodi have been placed in your share. There is also a small amount of Shiro Plums. Hope you enjoy this week’s bag of fruit. Cherry’s Orchard

This week’s bread from The Village Bakery and Café is called Local Harvest. Made with locally grown heritage corn that is locally ground by Shagbark Mill, this cornmeal is combined with whole and white wheat.

This week’s Cheese Share from Integration Acres is Gouda. This week’s gouda is on the young side meaning it is creamier and milder than an aged one which would be drier and sharper.

PICKUP CONTACT NUMBERS & HOURS
NEW ALBANY – 614-216-9370 12-8pm
TIBET – 614-784-8124 11am-6pm
BEXLEY MARKET-614-252-3951 3-8pm
UPPER ARLINGTON- 614-506-3086 4-8pm
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!

Recipes
Summer Squash Salad Recipe
Ingredients
• 4 small zucchini or mixed yellow and green summer squash (1 lb total)
• 1/3 cup loosely packed mint leaves
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• Pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (1 oz.)
• Grana Padano, Parmesan or Asagio cheese for shavings
• Fresh mint sprigs for garnish


Method
1 If you are starting with raw pine nuts, toast them first. Heat a small skillet on medium high heat. Add the pine nuts. Stir gently as the pine nuts start to brown. When slightly browned, remove from heat and let cool.
2 Slice the squash into paper-thin slices using a mandolin or other slicer. Set aside in a bowl.
3 Stack the mint leaves, roll them together lengthwise and slice crosswise to make very thin slivers. Add to squash in bowl.
4 Combine the oil and lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk together. Whisk in the salt and pepper and pour the dressing over the contents of the bowl. Add the pine nuts and toss all together, gently, but thoroughly. Let mixture stand for at least 10 minutes to soften the squash and develop the flavors.
5 Transfer salad to serving dish or to four individual salad plates. Garnish with shavings of cheese made with a vegetable peeler and a few sprigs of fresh mint.
Yield: Serves 4.


Some friends came over for dinner on Sunday night and brought the following dish. I don’t know the name for certain, but I will call it:

Spelt Berry, Squash Salad
Cut squashes and remove the seeds. Cut them into ½“ pieces. The more different the kinds of summer squash used, the more colorful the salad. Cook whole spelt berries, as you would rice. Use about 1 cup of dry berries to about 2-3 squashes. Grate 1-2 carrots. Toss this together with some olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and let the flavors merge awhile before serving. It was a wonderful addition to the tossed salad and mari-nated grilled venison round steaks. The whole grain and meat also made a ‘complete protein.’


Garlic Roasted Summer Squash
Ingredients: 2 summer squash ¼ cup olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced, or more to taste 1 tsp. herbes de Provence salt to taste ground black pepper to taste
Directions: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Trim the ends from the squash, and cut each squash in half lengthwise. Cut the halves in half again crosswise, to make 4 pieces; cut those pieces in half twice more the long way, to make 16 short spears from each squash. Toss the squash with olive oil and garlic in a bowl; place into a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
Roast the squash until the spears and garlic start to brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Check the squash after 5 minutes, and add time in 2- to 3-minute intervals to avoid burning.


Mom's Summer Squash Recipe
Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
2 lbs squash and/or zucchini, sliced 1 green bell pepper,seeds removed,sliced 2 smallish tomatoes or one large tomato, peeled and cut into wedges ½ yellow onion, peeled and sliced 1 clove of garlic, chopped Olive oil 5 or 6 slices of cheese - jack or cheddar Basil, either dry or chopped fresh Salt and pepper
Method
1 Put onion, garlic, squash, bell pepper into a large saucepan with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Put on high heat and brown the vegetables slightly to develop flavor. As you are browning, sprinkle either dried basil or chopped fresh basil on the vegetables. When vegetables are slightly browned, remove from heat, add the slices of cheese, and cover the pan.
2 In a separate stick-free fry pan, put the tomatoes and cook at medium high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want to let the juice from the tomatoes evaporate some. After 5 minutes, add the tomatoes to the rest of the vegetables and stir. Salt and pepper to taste. Yield: Serves 4


The Controversy of Basil Storage
There are 2 ways most commonly practiced. 1) at room temperature in a glass of water, and 2) stems wrapped in a damp paper towel in a re-sealable plastic bag in the warmest part of the frig - in the veg crisper where the humidity is highest, no colder that 50o, or the door if your frig doesn’t have a ‘crisper’ drawer. For the counter method, re-cut the stems before you put them in the glass of water (just like flowers). (One market customer put a plastic bag over the leaves, used is for 2 weeks when roots appeared. Then she planted it.) This is the method I use, but I tend to use the basil pretty quickly.