Athens Hills CSA: February 2013

February 27, 2013

Week 11 Newsletter, Winter 2013

ATHENS HILLS CSA

With this delivery, we begin the second half of the Winter 2013 season. From experience, we know these next few weeks will begin to fly by as spring gets nearer. Before we know it, winter jackets will be replaced with sweatbands and sunscreen. And – yes, we are very ready for that! This winter has seen many dreary days of cloud cover; currently, the projected yields are down somewhat due to this lack of sun. That will soon end and ‘bounty’ will be with us once again.

This week direct seeding begins for the late spring crops. Of course, salad mix is on that list along with arugula, radishes and dill and cilantro. The crew will also be planting flats for transplants of parsley and broccoli. We’re very excited to start these production trials for broccoli. If we are happy with the results, it could be a great addition to the items we offer.

Last week’s reminders to let us know your intentions for the summer season prompted even more folks to respond and we thank you for our efforts. Here’s another mention to those of you who are deciding. If you are looking for a partner to split a full share, we might be able to assist. We can post a message to your pickup site to let others who might be interested in the same situation. Just a thought….

In the next week, Miranda will be sending the E-vite to this winter’s Open Farm Day. This year we will gather on Sunday, March 17th. As usual, we will meet at the Amesville Grange Hall at 1:00 pm for a delicious potluck lunch followed with farm tours beginning at 2:30. This event happens rain or shine – boots are always appropriate. We use the E-vite tool to help us plan the amount of food which the farm will prepare. We make an entrée and supply the plates, cutlery, and beverages. Please take a minute to respond to this E-vite when you receive it. Thanks so much. We can’t wait to see you!

The workshop last Thursday was a huge success! Again, there were some growers that we didn’t have room for, but it seems likely that we will be offering this workshop again. We’ll keep your in the loop, of course. Have a great week!

From all of us at Green Edge,
Becky (Kip, Dan, Rob, Miranda, Emily, Natalie, Penny, Jane, Mark, Theo, and Matt)

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 - Some will receive shiitake and some will receive our oyster mushrooms.
Sunflower / MicroMix Microgreens - If you’re not familiar with microgreens, you are in for a surprise! These are grown in soil, not sprouted in water. The sunflower has a mild, nutty flavor, is juicy and crunchy, while the MicroMix is spicier, and does not store as long as the sunflower.
Rutabaga/Turnips - These are very similar but the rutabaga has a little creamier flavor. You can use them interchangeably. These are mild in flavor, and are crunchy when eaten raw. Delicious with veggie dips.
Spinach – We are thrilled to bring you this item again. This wonderful green is so versatile. Use it raw in a salad, or cooked in many different dishes.
Butternut squash – This flavor is somewhere between a sweet potato and a pumpkin. Bake whole or cut up and use in a recipe. Store in a cool and dry place.
Carrots - Many of you have written to say that you agree about t he delicious flavor of these sweet things. And thanks for that. What a special flavor and treat on a gloomy winter day.
Collards or Pac Choi - Pac Choy: similar to bok choy in handling and cooking. The flavor is a little stronger than the tatsoi; takes a little more time to cook and the texture is a like Napa Cabbage. Collards – require mush more cooking time, but oh so tasty…

THE COMBO CORNER

The apples from Cherry Orchard are Fuji and Yellow Delicious apples. The yellow delicious apple is an excellent eating apple but is also very good in salads, pies and for making applesauce. The Fuji apples outward appearance is not as attractive as most years, but don’t let that fool you - their flavor is excellent.
The bread from The Village Bakery and Café is the French Galette.
The cheese from Integration Acres is Chase Cheddar – it’s lightly smoked with apple wood. Made with raw goat's milk, this 7-month old cheddar is dry, salty, and crumbly. It pairs nicely with a hard cider, and is a great substitute for any hard Italian cheese you might sprinkle on pasta.

PICKUP CONTACT NUMBERS & HOURS

BEXLEY NATURAL MARKET 614-252-3951 (3-8pm)
CLINTONVILLE COMMUNITY MARKET 614-261-3663 (11am-8pm)
DUBLIN TREK BICYCLE 614-791- 8735 (3-7pm)
HILLIARD POWERSHACK 614-506-3086 (4-7pm)
NEW ALBANY 614-216-9370 (12-8pm)
TIBET ROAD 614-784-8124 (11am-7pm)
ATHENS COMMUNITY CENTER 740-592-3325 (2-8pm)
BELPRE 304-488-3620 (3-6pm)
HARMONY CHIROPRACTIC 740-592-4631 (3-7pm)
HYACINTH BEAN FLORIST 740-594-9302 (12-6pm)
OHIO UNIVERSITY - HR CENTER 330-284-5510 (4-6pm)

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!

Faye Cherry from the orchard sent these seasonal notes for you: Fuji apples were developed in the late 1930’s by growers at the Tohoku Research Station in Morioka, Japan. Fuji apples are a cross between two classic American apple varieties - Red Delicious and Virginia Ralls Janet. The Fuji apple variety was introduced to the United States in the 1960’s. Fuji apples contain between 15 - 18% sugar levels, making them one of the sweetest varieties available. ~ Pruning our apples trees has been an ongoing process this winter. Winter continues in our hills of southeastern Ohio but we are dreaming of spring as we are starting to plant seeds in our greenhouse. Thanks Faye!

RECIPES

Carrot Fritter Puffs
from The Joy of Gardening Cookbook, Ballentyne 1984 These puffs taste very much like potato knishes, but are much easier to make.

Ingredients:
4 cups diced carrots (or 2 C. puree.)
4 cups diced potatoes (or 2 C mashed)
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
1 cup bread crumbs
2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
2 cups diced onion
2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
oil for deep frying

Directions:
Cook the carrots and potatoes together in water to cover until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain and mash together. Add the eggs, flour, bread crumbs, and cheese.

Sauté the onion in the butter until browned and add to the batter with the salt and pepper.

Heat the oil to 375. Drop the batter into the oil by the teaspoon and fry for 1 minute or until golden brown, turning once to brown the other side. Drain on a paper towel and serve warm.

Spinach and Red Chard Quiche
Kip’s mom reads the blog and so she sees the contents of the share each week. She is also a great cook and reads recipes all the time. So, when she saw spinach, she sent this recipe for an eggless quiche. Thanks Gloria!

Ingredients:
1 (9”) unbaked pie crust
½ lb. spinach, rinsed and chopped
½ lb. red Swiss chard, rinsed & chopped
1 tbl. vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic
¼ tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. dried parsley
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
8 sm. oyster mushrooms, chopped
2 tsp. capers
1 (12 oz) package tofu, cubed
¼ cup skim milk
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cardamom
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Bake pie crust until lightly browned. Meanwhile, place spinach and Swiss chard in a steamer over 1” of boiling water, and cover. Lightly cook, about 5 minutes. 3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté onions and garlic. When onions become transparent add spinach and chard. Stir in curry powder, parsley, salt and pepper. Sauté until spinach and chard reduce, then add mushrooms and capers. Stir and remove from heat. 4. In a blender or food processor, combine tofu, milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom and Parmesan cheese. Process until smooth and creamy. Pour over vegetables and mix well. Transfer mixture to the pie crust. 5. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle top with Cheddar cheese. Bake for 10 more minutes, or until cheese is lightly browned. from allrecepies.com
Spinach Ricotta Pie
from Moosewood Cookbook, Katzen, 1977
(3 hours to prepare, assemble, and bake; yield: 1-9” pie)

THE CRUST - Cut together 1 cup flour (4/5 white plus 1/5 whole wheat is nice) (that’s approximate, of course) and 1/3 cup cold water. Use a pastry cutter or two forks, or a food processor fitted with steel blade. (Try to work quickly so ingredients stay cold.) When the mixture is uniformly blended, add about 3 Tablespoons cold buttermilk (or water. But buttermilk really. Specialness is worth it.) ~ or enough so that mixture holds together enough to form a ball. Chill the dough at least 1 hour.

THE FILLING – 1 lbs. ricotta cheese 3 beaten eggs ½ lb. chopped spinach 1 small onion, diced 3 tablespoons flour ½ cup grated sharp cheese dash of nutmeg

Sauté the spinach and onion in butter with black pepper, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp basil. Mix altogether, blending well. Spread into unbaked pie shell. Top with 1 cup sour cream spread to the edges of the crust and a generous application of paprika. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Serve piping hot.

About Spinach –If you have removed the stems (which can be tough), then you are ready to begin your preparation. Here are some general cooking times: Steam - 3-5 minutes Blanch - 2-4 minutes Sauté/Stir-fry- 3-5 mins Spinach is easily overcooked. Briefly steam or sauté spinach just to wilt it and reduce its volume.

February 20, 2013

Week 10 Newsletter, Winter 2013

ATHENS HILLS CSA

For some, the news that this is the last week for butternut squashes will bring a resounding cheer. For others (I know…), there’s never enough. Alas, though, this is the last of the squashes until summer rolls around and the zucchinis abound! Speaking of summer, many of you have responded to the message about the early enrollment for the Summer 2013 season. Please take a moment and let Miranda know your plans, too. Thanks.

Preparations for this Thursday’s workshop are mostly completed, just a few more additions to the slides and notes. Once again, the response was overwhelming and we had to turn folks away. Sometimes we can only shake our heads in amazement. Lunch will be prepared from some veggies from our farm in addition to other locally available ingredients. Bob from Rural Action works tirelessly to source locally for this kind of event. It will definitely be a tasty lunch! With a forecast of cold and sunny, here’s hoping the mud will be frozen at least during the tour.

Next Wednesday, the 27th of February, Miranda will be at one of this season’s new host sites in Belpre during the regular pickup hours. She will have a selection of partner items for tasting as well as registration forms for this summer season. So Belpre folks, feel free to bring interested friends along next week. See you there.

During this month’s Visioning meeting the consensus was to postpone any more discussion of the 10-year plan and instead focus on more of the nuts and bolts like finances, investigating recycling options for the farm, employee policies, the internship program, upcoming projects, safety issues, and a few other topics that the crew wants to discuss. We have finally decided to call the process The Long Conversation. Meetings so far have been informative, inclusive, short, and delicious. Attendees take turns providing soup and bread for all.

Don’t forget OPEN FARM DAY is fast approaching. Save the date! March 17th, a Sunday, is the date and 1:00 pm is the time for this event. Mark your calendars! Have a great week.

From all of us at Green Edge,
Becky (Kip, Dan, Rob, Miranda, Emily, Natalie, Penny, Jane, Mark, Theo, and Matt)

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 - Some will receive shiitake and some will receive our oyster mushrooms. Store them in a paper bag in the fridge.
Sunflower / MicroMix Microgreens -These are grown in soil, not sprouted in water. The sunflower has a mild, nutty flavor, is juicy and crunchy, while the MicroMix is spicier, and does not store as long as the sunflower. Add them to salads or to top off pretty much any dish.
Spinach – We are thrilled to bring you this item again. This wonderful green is so versatile. Use it raw in a salad, or cooked in many different dishes. Try a spinach salad with maple pecans, apple slices and blue cheese with balsamic vinegarette.
Butternut squash – This flavor is somewhere between a sweet potato and a pumpkin. Bake whole or cut up and use in a recipe. Store in a cool and dry place.
Beets - Some years we are very unhappy about the germination rate - not so this year. These beets are Lutz ‘Winter-keepers’ and they are tasty. Chopped into small cubes, they roast quickly in olive oil with salt and work well atop salads or as a simple sweet side dish.
Rutabaga - These are very similar to turnips but with a little creamier flavor. You can use them just like turnips. These are easily as mild in flavor as the turnips and just as crunchy when eaten raw. (One site is actually receiving turnips.)
Kale - We love it raw, massaged, steamed, in soup, etc., etc. A complete amino acid score of this food is 92 – that’s with 100 being a complete protein!

THE COMBO CORNER

The apples from Cherry Orchard include two crisp apples with excellent flavor: Gold Rush and Fuji.
The bread from The Village Bakery and Café is the premier of their newest creation called Barley Wheat, a soft sandwich bread with just a touch of Hartzler butter.
The cheese from Integration Acres is a tomme (rhymes with home), made with raw cow's milk from Snowville Creamery. This tomme is young (just a little over two months old), and is very mild; its distinctive rind developed during the aging process. Try it with sliced apples and crackers - it's a great snacking cheese!

PICKUP CONTACT NUMBERS & HOURS

RECIPES

Butternut Squash Soup
Another outstanding Butternut Squash recipe from member Lisa in Athens. Thanks so much for sharing these two ways to flavor a creamy butternut soup:
The butternut squash is outstanding! Very sweet and the color is so vibrant! It's a soup and I have two seasoning choices that I've used that are equally tasty. The soup can be vegan or creamed with some of that Snowville milk or half-n-half, from www.cooks.com

Ingredients:
Large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 or 4 sweet apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 or 2 yellow onions, cut into 1-inch cubes
4-6 C. veggie broth (or substitute 2c with milk)
1 tsp salt ½ tsp pepper
2-3 Tbl olive oil
1 Tbl brown sugar, optional (honey would also be good)
Spice mix of choice: Curry or Spicy

Directions:
Curry ½ -1 tsp of your favorite curry powder, to taste

Spicy (my fav!) 1t ground ginger ½ tsp garlic powder (or 1-2 tsp fresh, minced) ½ tsp nutmeg ½ tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp ground chili of choice (ancho or chipotle are good)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread cut veggies and apples on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Roast uncovered in the oven 35-40 minutes, turning a few times, until the squash is very soft. Alternatively, these can be sautéed in a soup pot until soft and slightly browned.

In the soup pot, add seasoning of choice and broth, add roasted veggies/apples (or:: broth and seasoning go into the pot with the sautéed mixture), heat through.

For a smooth soup, remove the pot from heat. Using a hand blender, puree the soup until smooth. Or blend in batches in a blender and return to the pot. Add milk, if desired, or more broth if you like a thinner soup. Top with croutons or crumbled Shagbark Corn Chips.

Roasted Butternut Squash & Rutabaga (Swede) Soup from: www.sparkpeople.com
Makes 2 ample servings or 3 side dish/starter servings

Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash
1 med/small rutabaga (swede)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups vegetable broth ½ - 1 cup milk (optional)
salt & pepper to taste

Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Peel squash & rutabaga (swede), and cut into chunks of even size, roughly 1”
3. Drizzle olive oil into a roasting pan, add squash & rutabaga chunks, tossing with your hands to coat
4. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until soft and starting to brown on some edges
5. Puree in a blender or food processor with a little vegetable stock (you may need to cool the roasted veg- note: you can roast the veg the day before & store in your fridge)
6. Put puree into a saucepan and add the rest of the vegetable stock, and some milk to add a touch of creaminess (omit the milk if you are vegan or lactose-intolerant)
7. Season to taste & serve

MASHED RUTABAGAS
from www.foodnetwork.com

Peel 2 lbs of mashed rutabagas and cut into large chunks. Put them in a pan of water, cover, and bring to a boil. Simmer until very tender, about 40 minutes. Drain the rutabagas, return them to the pan, and heat gently for 2 or 3 minutes to dry them. Mash the chunks with a potato masher or fork, the puree will always be slightly fibrous. Work in butter with a generous grate of nutmeg, taste and adjust the seasoning. Like turnips, they mix well with potatoes in the mash. Enjoy!

KALE AND SPINACH SAAG
from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 (1”) piece fresh ginger, peeled & coarsely chopped
6 cloves garlic
¼ cup water, or more as needed
½ tsp garam masala
1 (10 oz) bag fresh spinach, chopped
10 oz kale, chopped
1 cup milk
1 cup cottage cheese
1 pinch salt
1 pinch ground nutmeg
2 tsp ghee (clarified butter)
2 onions, chopped

Directions:
Place the ginger and garlic in a blender with ¼ cup water, and blend to a smooth paste.

Heat a large skillet with a lid over medium-low heat, and scoop the ginger-garlic paste in the skillet. Sprinkle with garam masala, and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer the paste for about 15 minutes, checking to see that it hasn’t cooked dry. Add more water if the mixture gets dried out. Stir in the spinach and kale, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are bright green and limp, about 10 minutes.

Place the milk and cottage cheese into the blender, and blend until smooth. Add a pinch of salt and nutmeg to the blender and pulse again just to mix.

Heat the ghee in a skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the onions until they are translucent, about 5 minutes.

Stir the cottage cheese mixture and the cooked onions into the skillet with the greens until well combined, let cool slightly, and place about half the saag into the blender. Pulse until smooth, return the blended mixture to the skillet, and stir well.

February 13, 2013

Week 9 Newsletter, Winter 2013

ATHENS HILLS CSA

Re-growth of greens in the houses is finally starting to improve with the additional daylight. And along with the greens, re-growth of the weeds is exploding at the same time. Hours are spent eliminating these competitors for nutrients and water. Beds that are weeded are much easier and faster to harvest, and that efficiency can translate to lower costs.

Miranda has sent the early enrollment brochures to our Winter 2013 members along with all of those who were with last summer. Many have responded. If you haven’t yet, please take a minute to let us know either way whether you will join us this June. This early registration lets us know how many spaces we can fill. Thanks for doing that!

The OEFFA conference is this weekend and the PASA (Pennsylvania) conference was last weekend. Matt attended PASA and returned with some great suggestions for more soil monitoring. Kip is going to OEFFA’s Pre-Conference workshop Friday to learn about the dreaded Food Safety Modernization Act. The more he reads, the angrier I get! For some, attempting to follow these new regulations will surely mean an end to their farming. But, according to some, that end is the desired outcome for the sponsors of the bill. So far, it seems that as long as we sell to CSA members, we would be exempt. Don’t worry, the FDA still comes to inspect our facilities and processes twice a year, not to mention our annual organic inspection.

Two more intern candidates visited last week, and another is scheduled for this week, and at least one more for next week. Soon the choice will get more difficult as the number of candidates will exceed the number of available spots. Meeting these young people is always so interesting. Their dreams and hopes will shape the future. It’s so reassuring to see no fear of hard work, an enthusiasm for learning, and a willingness to pitch in to get the job done. There’s nothing better than meeting optimistic young folks to promote a rosier outlook for the time at hand.

Have a great week!

From all of us at Green Edge,
Becky (Kip, Dan, Rob, Miranda, Emily, Natalie, Penny, Jane, Mark, Theo, and Matt)

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 - Some folks will receive shiitakes and some will receive oysters. Store them in a paper bag in the fridge.
Sunflower / MicroMix Microgreens - If you’re not familiar with microgreens, you are in for a surprise! These are grown in soil, not sprouted in water. The sunflower has a mild, nutty flavor, is juicy and crunchy, while the MicroMix is spicier, and does not store as long as the sunflower.
Butternut Squash – These squashes store for a long time so don’t feel pressured to use them immediately. There’s another member recipe on page 2 using butternut. Check it out!
Beets - We hope you love them! High in vitamins and minerals. Notes on page 2 for peeling or ‘slipping the skins.’
Pac Choy - Another of our mild Asian greens, this variety is called Vitamin Green, which tells you what it does for your body! Can be eaten raw, steamed, sautéed, or stir-fried. The stalks hold water, so they are a refreshing snack raw. The stems can be cooked too, and will take slightly longer than the leaves.
Turnips – My shorthand name for these is ‘petwogs’ for Purple-Topped White Globes. The ones we had raw in salad yesterday were sweet and crunchy. I sliced them in very thin quarters, the shape resembling a piece of pie.
Spinach – This wonderful green is so versatile. Use it raw in a salad, or cooked in many different dishes. “…good source of Niacin and Zinc, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese." www.nutritiondata.com

THE COMBO CORNER

The apples from Cherry Orchard this week include a mixture of four varieties: Melrose, Mutzu, Granny Smith, and Red Delicious.
The bread from The Village Bakery and Café is Valencia Wheat, a country loaf that features organic extra-virgin Spanish olive oil.
The cheese from Integration Acres is a young Snow Melt, an aged cheese made with raw cow's milk from Snowville Creamery. The name honors the creamery, and is a nod to the cheese's melt-ability! This batch of Snow Melt was made just a little over two months ago.

PICKUP CONTACT NUMBERS & HOURS

RECIPES

Greens with Cannellini Beans and Pancetta
from allrecipes.com
A note from the person who posted this: Use any green in season and feel free to substitute diced bacon instead of pancetta.

Ingredients:
2 slices of pancetta or bacon
1 ½ Tbsp. olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bunch kale, roughly chopped
1 bunch beet greens, roughly chopped
salt to taste
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained

Directions:
Fry the chopped bacon or pancetta until crisp. Drain the drippings and set aside.
In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Cook the onion in oil until soft. Add the crushed garlic cloves, and cook a minute more. Stir in chopped greens, and season with salt to taste (be conservative at this point – you can always add more!) Partially cover the pan, and cook until the greens begin to wilt. Stir in crispy pancetta and cannellini beans. Cook partially covered for 5 more minutes, until flavors have combined and the greens are tender.

SESAME PAC CHOI
from: www.bbcgoodfood.com

Ingredients:
9 pak choi
2 tbsp groundnut oil (peanut)
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 large garlic clove , crushed and finely chopped
1 mild green chili, seeded and finely chopped
1 tbsp Thai fish sauce (optional)

Directions:
Cut a thick slice from the pak choi root to separate the leaves. Rinse and drain. Heat the groundnut oil in a large wok over a medium heat and add 1 tbsp sesame oil, the garlic, chili, fish sauce (if using) and pak choi. Toss until coated and clamp a pan lid over them. Reduce the heat and cook for 3-6 minutes, tossing occasionally, just until the leaves have wilted (the stalks should be tender-crisp). Add the rest of the sesame oil and salt. Toss the leaves and serve immediately.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH & TAHINI SPREAD
from: www.guardian.co.uk
Thanks to our member Adam who shared this link from the Guardian newspaper in London. I can’t wait to try this! Yotam Ottolenghi's butternut squash and tahini spread: A wonderfully tasty alternative to hummus. He is chef/patron of Ottolenghi and Nopi in London.

Ingredients:
1 very large butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks (about 2½ lbs)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
2½ oz. tahini paste
4 oz. Greek yoghurt
2 small garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tsp mixed black and white sesame seeds (or just white, if you don't have black)
1½ tsp date syrup (don’t fret if you don’t have it)
2 tbsp chopped coriander

Directions:
Heat the oven to 350F. Spread the squash out on a medium-sized baking tray, pour over the olive oil and sprinkle on the cinnamon and salt. Mix well, cover the tray tightly with tinfoil and roast for 70 minutes, stirring once during the cooking. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Transfer the cooled squash to the bowl of a food processor, along with the tahini, yoghurt, and garlic. Roughly, pulse so that everything is combined into a coarse paste – you don't want it too smooth (you can also do this by hand using a fork or masher). To serve, spread the butternut in a wavy pattern over a flat plate and sprinkle with sesame seeds, a drizzle of syrup and finish with chopped coriander. ALL THINGS BEET…..
With beets, peeling is done after the cooking. My mom always called it ‘slipping the skins’. Cool the ccoked beet so that it can be held in the hand. Then you just squeeze a little and the skin will slip right off. Beets can be cooked a number of ways, steaming, baking, boiling or blanching. Boiling is probably the fastest method, but you can lose some of the color and flavor. Steaming works well also, but make sure you have enough water in the pan. A 2-3” beet will steam in 15-20 minutes. Baking results in less loss of color than any method. Many cooks however, prefer to use them raw and grated for salads and garnishes.

(I do apologize if you’ve seen these info too many times before. But some newer members may not have heard of this… thanks for your patience.)

Swiss Chard with Beets, Goat Cheese,and Raisins
from epicurious.com

Ingredients:
1½ pounds red beets (about 3 large)
4 pounds Swiss chard
¼ cup olive oil
1 large red onion, halved lengthwise, cut thinly crosswise
¾ cup sliced green onions (about 3)
5 garlic cloves, chopped
2 jalapeño chiles, thinly sliced crosswise with seeds
3 14½-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice, drained
1 cup plus 2 tbls. golden raisins
¼ cup fresh lime juice
1 5½-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons pine nuts

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap beets individually in foil. Roast until beets are tender, about 1 hour. Cool. Peel beets, then cut into 1/2-inch cubes. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover; chill.)
2. Fold Swiss chard leaves in half lengthwise and cut stalks away from leaves. Cut leaves coarsely into 1-inch pieces. Slice stalks thinly crosswise. Reserve stalks and leaves separately. Cook chopped leaves in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 1 minute. Drain and reserve.
3. Heat oil in heavy large pot over high heat. Add sliced stalks; sauté until starting to soften, about 8 minutes.
4. Add onion and next 3 ingredients; sauté 3 minutes. Add drained tomatoes and 1 cup raisins. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
5. Add chard leaves to pot; stir to heat through. Remove from heat; add lime juice and stir to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer chard mixture to large platter. Sprinkle with beets, goat cheese, pine nuts, and remaining 2 tablespoons raisins. Serve warm or at room temperature.

February 6, 2013

Week 8 Newsletter, Winter 2013

ATHENS HILLS CSA

Great big bunches of kudos go to Rob this week. Single-handedly, he spent most of his work time Sunday shoveling the driveways making it possible for the farm trucks to get from the barnyard to the fields on Monday! Great job, Rob! More thank-you’s go to Laurel for the extra effort she made on last Thursday, and to our fearless township truck driver. The garage is just down the road. That means our access to the main road is the first one plowed. We’re so grateful for this.

Last week, the PBS/Ohio Farm Bureau program Our Ohio, aired a segment about our winter growing techniques and our winter CSA. Unfortunately, there is still no link to the YouTube page where you can watch it for yourself. Since we are without cable, we haven’t seen it yet either, but several folks who have seen it, were very complimentary.

Kip continues the monumental task of reading the produce part of the Food Safety Modernization Act. He’s not quite halfway through it. If you are interested in reading it for yourself, let us know and we will happily send you a link.

Miranda is mostly finished with the updates for the Summer 2013 brochure and we will be sending it your way soon. Once again, we are increasing our available number of shares from 150 last summer to 175, and still hope to be full before the season begins. In addition to these CSA responsibilities, she is also compiling information for the packets that will be a part of our on-going series of workshops with the topic of season creation in unheated greenhouses.

The crew continues tending, weeding, and fertilizing – all of this so that harvest is quick and efficient. In addition to this maintenance, direct seeding and transplanting is also taking place to assure the quantities that will be needed by March and April. Really, it’s never boring. Tasks change every week, and there are always more. Have a great week!

From all of us at Green Edge,
Becky (Kip, Dan, Rob, Miranda, Emily, Natalie, Penny, Jane, Mark, Theo, and Matt)

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 - All sites are receiving shiitakes this week.
Sunflower Microgreens -These are grown in soil, which imparts additional nutrients into the tasty greens. These have a mild, almost nutty flavor and are juicy and crunchy.
Butternut Squash – These squashes store for a long time so don’t feel pressured to use immediately. There’s a member recipe on page 2 using shiitakes and butternut. Check it out!
Beets- We hope you love them! High in vitamins and minerals. Notes on page 2 for peeling or ‘slipping the skins.’
Pac Choy - Another of our mild Asian greens, this variety is called Vitamin Green, which tells you what it does for your body! Can be eaten raw, steamed, sautéed, or stir-fried. The stalks hold water, so they are a refreshing snack raw. The stems can be cooked too, and will take slightly longer than the leaves.
Kale - We love it raw, massaged, steamed, in soup, etc., etc. A complete amino acid score of this food is 92 – that’s with 100 being a complete protein!
Swiss Chard – We’re glad to have this favorite back this week. The mild flavor of chard makes it the all around choice for most customers. It’s the only green that grows well in winter and summer.

THE COMBO CORNER

The apples from Cherry Orchard are half Yellow Delicious and half Fuji. The appearance of the Fuji is not as smooth as usual due to fall weather conditions, but this has not affected their eating qualities. They are very sweet and crisp.
The bread from The Village Bakery and Café is Ukrainian Rye.
The cheese from Integration Acres is Caprino Romano, a hard, salty cheese suitable for grating and crumbling. The name of the cheese derives from the Italian word for goat-capra. This raw goat's milk Romano is aged for a minimum of 5 months, and this batch is over 7 months old. Try it as an alternative to Parmesan on pasta, soups and salads.

PICKUP CONTACT NUMBERS & HOURS

RECIPES

Butternut Squash and Shiitake Mushroom Wild Rice Risotto
from allrecipes.com
This recipe was posted on our Facebook page and it sounds delicious. “Here's a yummy recipe using butternut squash and Shitake's!. I used most of a week's worth of shitakes for this and used the broth I made from shitake stems in lieu of the reserve water from soaking dried mushrooms. I also used Feta since I didn't have gorganzola.” Thanks Kate for sending us a recipe that worked so well!

Ingredients:
3 oz. dried shiitake
4 Cups water
4 Cups cubed butternut squash
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 Cups vegetable stock
3 Tablespoons butter
1 Large onion, finely chopped
1 Cup wild rice
2 Cups of Arborio rice
1 Cup dry white wine
1 (4 ounce) container crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
salt and ground black pepper to taste
½ Cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
1. Combine the shiitake mushrooms and water in a bowl, assuring the mushrooms are covered with water; allow to soak until the mushrooms have softened, about 30 minutes. Drain and reserve the liquid for later use. (This is the step that Katie skipped by using fresh mushrooms and stem water.)
2. Preheat oven to 375 F. (190C)
3. Toss the butternut squash, olive oil, and maple syrup together in a bowl until the squash is evenly coated. Spread on a baking sheet.
4. Roast the squash in the preheated oven until tender yet retains its shape, about 30 minutes; set aside.
5. Bring the vegetable stock and reserved liquid from the mushrooms to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat.
6. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat; when the butter begins to foam, stir the onion into the butter and cook until the onions are soft and golden, 5-7 mins. Stir the wild rice and the Arborio rice through the onions until evenly mixed and coated. Add the white wine and mushrooms to the onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has been absorbed, 7-10 minutes.
7. Pour enough of the simmering stock mixture into the skillet to cover the rice; cook and stir until the liquid is nearly completely absorbed. Continue adding stock about ¾ cups at a time, allowing each batch to absorb into the mixture before adding the next. Cook and stir until the rice is tender, about 35 mins. total. Add the butternut squash; cook until the squash is hot, 2-3 mins. Reduce heat to low. Quickly stir the Gorgonzola cheese and parsley into the mixture until the risotto is moist and creamy; remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper; serve immediately.

Pac Choy Stir-Fry
from PetesGreens.com/recipes (Serves 2 or 3.)

Ingredients:
2 Tbl. vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 scallions, chopped white and green parts
1 head of Pac Choi, stalks and leaves, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 large carrot, peeled and julienned
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 (2 inch) piece of peeled, fresh ginger
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar
½ Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp sesame seeds

Directions:
In a large sauce pan, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat until hot. Toss in onion and garlic, stirring with a wooden spoon or tongs, for 2 minutes. Do not let them burn. Add the vegetables, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper and stir for another minute until the vegetables are slightly wilted. Sprinkle on the sesame oil and sesame seeds and serve over hot, steamed rice.

Variations: Try adding protein like beef, fish or tofu before adding the vegetables. Even a couple of beaten eggs will do nicely in a dish like this. Cashews or peanuts are tasty when tossed in after cooking, and you can always vary the sauce with something store bought like a jarred plum sauce or Thai-style peanut sauce.

ALL THINGS BEET…..

With beets, peeling is done after the cooking. My mom always called it ‘slipping the skins’. Cool the cooked beet so that it can be held in the hand. Then you just squeeze a little and the skin will slip right off. Beets can be cooked a number of ways, steaming, baking, boiling or blanching. Boiling is probably the fastest method, but you can lose some of the color and flavor. Steaming works well also, but make sure you have enough water in the pan. A 2-3” beet will steam in 15-20 minutes. Baking results in less loss of color than any method. Many cooks however, prefer to use them raw and grated for salads and garnishes.

BEETS AND ORANGE SALAD - Slice cooked beets and combine with orange sections and minced scallions. Use a honey and curry dressing.

BEETS AND APPLE SALAD - Dice cooked beets and combine with diced apples in a vinaigrette dressing or that honey and curry one.

HONEY AND CURRY DRESSING – Whisk together 2/3 cup of salad oil, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons white vinegar, ¼ cup honey, 1 teaspoon curry powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Pour over salads. Yield about 1 ½ cups.

LEFTOVER BEETS can be made into a wonderful dip for raw vegetables. Puree the cooked beets in a food processor. For every cup of puree, add 8 ounces of cream cheese (softened), 1 teaspoon horseradish, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons minced red onion, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1 table- spoon grated orange rind. Mix it all together in a food processor and chill well before serving.

Just another reminder to bring last share’s bag with you when you pick up this week’s goodies (Just the cloth bags, please!) Thanks!