Week 7 Newsletter, Winter 2012

ATHENS HILLS CSA

The daffodils have emerged in the front yard. Orchards are ahead on the pruning schedules, concerned that if this warm weather trend continues, the trees will set buds months early. Today the cover crops in the fallow fields turned a brilliant green. This unseasonably warm weather makes tending the greenhouses almost balmy. And I, like many of our friends and neighbors, wonder when or if winter will come and stay longer than a weekend. 

The management staff has been meeting to discuss the budget for this year. Trying to guess how the much the prices for fuel and other necessities will increase can be enough to make a sane person long for boredom! Of course, we already know about the increases in supplies that are ordered in January (to catch those ‘early-bird discounts’). Those averaged about 7% more than last year. And as the season progresses, we are certain that this year’s costs will also rise, so our question is: ‘by how much?’ If you have looked closely at the Summer 2102 brochure, you will see that those prices do not reflect the January increases, merely the amount that we think fuel will increase through the summer season. 

Speaking of those Summer brochures, several folks have already sent in their deposit and share choice for the Summer 2012 season. I won’t nag you about letting us know your intentions for summer, but the waiting list grows, almost daily. We don’t want any current members to miss this early opportunity. 

The OEFFA Certification package arrived last week. Dan is already working on completing all of the forms. Planning which fields will have which crops to enhance the benefits of the crop rotation is just one of the items that requires hours of planning and plotting. The crew continues the never-ending tasks of weeding, thinning, and watering on the days that they are not harvesting and packing for your shares. 

I will nag you about returning the share bags to your host site. We won’t have enough for next week’s delivery without your efforts THIS WEEK. So bring ‘em home! Thanks. Have a great week.

From all of us at Green Edge,
Becky (Kip, Dan, John, Maria, Rob, Theo, Penny, Diedra, Bethany, Alicia, and Liz)

OPEN FARM DAY

Join us on Sunday, March 25th for our winter Open Farm Day. We’ll meet at the Amesville Grange, have a potluck, visit with folks, and then caravan to the farm for a tour of your veggies. This year our annual Farm Day will also be promoted as a Farm-to-Table event by the Ohio Farm Bureau. More details later!

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Green-Edge-Gardens/327289894146
Twitter - http://twitter.com/GreenEdgeGarden

THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES

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.
Mushrooms - One site received oysters; the rest of you have shiitake. Because the oyster production is so difficult to predict, we can only send them to one host site at a time. We are trying to make sure all have them at least once before others receive them twice.
Sunflower Microgreens - OR MAYBE MICROMIX!! We are trying the same system with our micromix as with mushrooms – namely different sites will receive our ‘Mix’ week.
Swiss Chard – This is the mildest flavored of all the winter greens. Just last night we included it in a lovely omelet with shiitake mushrooms and cheese.
Pac Choy – Pac Choy is a late season Asian green. It is in the same family as all the other ‘choys’, and the flavor is similar. Use it as you would bok choy.
Arugula - This is a ‘love it or hate it’ veggie. As the season gets later, the peppery flavor is more pronounced, but we all love it mixed in with salad or sautéed over pasta.
Sweet Potatoes - To store these beauties, do not refrigerate – keep them at around 55o - optimum storage conditions.

Carrots – We’ve been waiting to include these. They may not look just like the grocery stores ones, but they are sweet and delicious.

THE COMBO CORNER

The apple selections from Cherry Orchard this week include four favorite cooking and baking apples: Ida Red, Rome Beauty, Enterprise, and Melrose.
This week’s bread from The Village Bakery and Café is the French Galette.
This week’s cheese from Integration Acres is a mixed-milk cheddar made with raw cow's milk from Snowville Creamery and a smidge of IA’s raw goat's milk. Aged for just 90 days, this is a mild cheddar, perfect for slicing and snacking on. You can also try grating it into some homemade macaroni & cheese. 

PICKUP CONTACT NUMBERS & HOURS

BREATHING SPACE YOGA 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
HARMONY CHIROPRACTIC – 740 592-4631 3pm-7pm

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

Caribbean Stir-Fry Pak Choy
from: latinfood.about.com
Prep Time: 12 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 17 minutes Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 lbs Pak Choy 

2 tsp oil 

1/2 cup diced onions 

Minced hot pepper to taste 

2 cloves garlic, crushed 

Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:  

Cut off the root at the bottom of each bunch of Pak Choy. Chop up the Pak Choy - white and green parts. Heat oil in a wok or very large pan until very hot. Toss in onions, pepper and garlic let cook for 1 - 2 mins. Add Pak Choy and toss continuously until the green leaves wilt. Remove from heat immedi-ately, season with salt and serve right away.

Barefoot Carrot Salad

Ingredients: 

1/3 cup golden raisins 

1 pound carrots 

2 Tbls freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 cup sour cream 

1/4 cup mayonnaise 

3 tablespoons sugar 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/3 cup diced fresh pineapple
Directions: 

Place the raisins in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to sit for 5 minutes and then drain. Fit a food processor with the grating blade. Cut the carrots in half and place in the feed tube so they are lying on their sides. Process in batches. Place the grated carrots in a medium bowl, add the lemon juice, and toss. For the dressing, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, sugar and salt. Pour the dressing over the carrots and add the pineapple and raisins. Toss together and serve. ~from foodnetwork.com

Siew Pak Choy with Braised Mushrooms 

from www.deliciousasianfood.com
Ingredients: 

1 bunch siew pak choy (rinsed clean and cut between stem and leaves.) 

5 shiitake mushrooms or Chinese dried mush- rooms (if latter, soak overnight) 

1 cup chicken stock 

3 cloves garlic (chopped finely) 

1 cup warm water 

3 tablespoons palm oil
Seasoning: 

1 tablespoons oyster sauce 

1 teaspoon abalone sauce 

1/2 teaspoon fish sauce 

Salt to taste 

A dash or two of white pepper powder 

2 teaspoons Chinese cooking wine
Directions: 

Heat oil in wok and sauté garlic on medium high heat till light brown. Remove fried garlic. With remaining oil in wok, stir fry mushrooms for 1 minute. Add chicken stock and ½ cup water. Add seasoning (except Chinese cooking wine) and allow to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer till gravy reduced to ½ cup. (This should take about 5 to 10 minutes) Meanwhile, bring to boil a large pot of water. Add 1 Tbl. palm oil and 2 tsp salt. Then add siew pak choy stems followed by leaves 15 seconds later. Once leaves turn to dark green, remove siew pak choy from pot and arrange them on a plate. Once gravy is reduced to a thick sauce, add Chinese cooking wine (if you want to, add 1 tablespoon of potato starch to thicken sauce to your liking) and stir well. Pour gravy and mushroom over the siew pak choy and garnish with fried garlic.

Maple Carrots

from: www.carrotrecipes.net
Ingredients:
1 ½ lb of carrots, peeled and cut into half-inch thick rounds.
½ cup of water.
3 tablespoons of butter.
2 tablespoons of maple syrup.
1 tablespoon of brown sugar.
Salt and freshly ground black pep- per, to taste.
Directions:
1. In a large skillet, bring all ingredients to boil.
2. Reduce heat to medium, then cover and simmer for 8 minutes.
3. Uncover and cook until the juices are reduced to glaze (4-5 minutes).
4. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Carrot-Tofu Quiche
Ingredients:
4 cups of sliced carrots
2 cups of tofu, mashed
¼ cup of water, from the carrots
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 small onion, minced
½ teaspoon of dill seed
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
1 whole wheat pie crust
2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
Directions:
1. Steam the carrots until they are tender.
2. Blend together the tofu, water and salt. Use enough water to obtain a thick, creamy consistency like that of mayonnaise (the amount of water needed varies depending on the moisture content of the tofu).
3. Add the minced onion, dill and chopped parsley to the tofu cream. Mix thoroughly.
4. Spread the tofu-carrot mixture over the crust in a 7-inch by 11-inch baking dish.
5. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 40 minutes or until set.