ATHENS HILLS CSA
Another week has passed in whirlwind fashion. There was the promise of rain, but none actually fell. There are pros and cons to that. Pros – lots of field work, mowing, bed building, weeding and cultivating was accomplished. Cons – lots and lots of watering through the drip irrigation system and overhead by hand in newly seeded beds and flats. On Thursday, as arranged, the Sustainable Agriculture class from OU visited the farm. They were shown all the houses, the fields, the mushrooms, and of course, the microgreens. This summer class is a regular visitor here and we enjoy showing them the unique systems that we have in place that help us work towards sustainability. As luck, or serendipity, would have it, at just the same time the class was visiting the microhouse, our ODA inspectors arrived, unannounced, to inspect the mushrooms, microhouse, packing rooms and coolers. (Those are their domains.)
We were able to offer those students an extraordinary experience. Not only did they witness an inspection, they were given the opportunity to ask questions about the inspection process, the scope of the inspection, and other areas that surfaced during the discussion. These inspectors have farming backgrounds and understand what they are seeing, and know the kinds of infractions that can cause problems. It is important that young people interested in farming not view them as the enemy, but as the small farmer’s first line of defense against the onerous demands that “Big Ag” would like to see imposed on all farms regardless of size. (We also have unannounced inspections from the FDA, and scheduled inspections from OEFFA.)
So speaking of inspections, we invite you to join (or inspect) us for this summer's Open Farm Day. The date is Sunday, July 21st from 1:00 - 5:00 pm. Join us for a potluck lunch at the Amesville Grange at 1:00 followed by farm tours starting at 2:30pm (rain or shine). Come and meet your farmers and visit your veggies! It’s lots of fun. We hope to see you! Have a great week!
From all of us at Green Edge,
Becky (Kip, Dan, Mark, Theo, Penny, Emily, Josh, Natalie, Matt T, Brittany, Michelle, Matt C., & Miranda)
THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES
Salad Mix – Our summer salad mix is a
‘lettuce only’ blend of 7-10 varieties. This mix is best stored in an
air-tight container with some paper towel or cloth to absorb any
moisture. Mushrooms - Shiitake for all. Store these in the paper bag in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. Even if you don’t get to them, they will simply dry (not mold) until you can reconstitute them in water for another delicious meal.
Sunflower -- All sites will get sunflower, a crunchy micro plant, grown in a heated microgreen-specific greenhouse. These are an excellent addition to salads, as a garnish on pasta, or even on top of pizza, as they are sometimes served at restaurants that buy from us.
Cilantro – An exciting addition to tossed salad and almost a requirement in salsa; some think it tastes like soap and scientists say that is due to tasted buds that are dormant in some people. For the rest of us, however, enchilda verde would not be the same without it. (Hilliard Power Shack members will receive dill, not cilantro.)
Cabbage – We don’t grow cabbage, so we get this from another Athens organic grower. We hope you enjoy it!
Swiss Chard – We grow chard throughout the year. In fact, it’s the only green that will survive the heat of high summer. Look for new recipes throughout the season, or better yet - share your favorites with us!
Cucumbers - Besides just slicing these with some onion and vinegar, sugar, and oil, cukes are used widely in many cuisines of the world. Cucumber dip is a welcome foil to spicy flavors of Indian, Thai, and Greek dishes.
Green Beans – Tender and tasty- stir-fry, steam, roast, saute, or boil these. Cool, them and marinate for a crunchy refreshing salad ingredient or just by themselves.
THE COMBO CORNER
The fruit share begins in mid-July. This is where to find the varieties that will be included. The bread from The Village Bakery and Café is Ukrainian Rye made with organic rye flour, and sour cream and yogurt from Snowville Creamery, caraway seeds, yeast, and Real Salt.
The cheese from Integration Acres is Feta. Look for a recipe using this on page 2.
PICKUP CONTACT NUMBERS & HOURS
BEXLEY MARKET-614-252-3951, 3-8pm CLINTONVILLE COOP – 614-261-3663, 11 am-8 pm
ECOFLORA – 614-266-1618, 12pm-7pm
DUBLIN TREK BICYCLE 614-791- 8735, 3-7 pm
HILLIARD POWERSHACK 614-506-3086, 4-7pm
NEW ALBANY – 614-216-9370, 12-8pm
ATHENS COMMUNITY CENTER - 740-592-3325, 12-8 pm
HYACINTH BEAN – 740-594-9302, 12-6pm
BELPRE 304-488-3620, 3-6 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!
RECIPES
From Integration Acres: Watermelon and Feta Salad Ingredients:
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 bunches arugula (about 12 ounces total), thick stems removed
1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 ½ -pound piece chilled seedless watermelon, rind removed, cut into small chunks (2-3 C.)
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar and oil. Season with salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, combine arugula and onion; toss with dressing to taste. Gently toss with watermelon and feta, and serve.
Thai Cucumber Salad
This is a live link to a video of an amazing fresh cucumber salad that uses cilantro too: http://allrecipes.com/video/132/thai-cucumber-salad/detail.aspx?prop24=RD_VideoTipsTricks
Molly's Mouthwatering Tzatziki
from allrecipes.com
Ingredients:
1 large cucumber, peeled & cut into chunks
1½ cups plain Greek yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Chop the cucumber in a food processor until nearly liquefied; strain through a piece of cheesecloth to remove excess moisture. Mix the cucumber, yogurt, garlic, sour cream mayonnaise together in a bowl; season with salt and pepper.
Natalie’s Famous Cole Slaw (a favorite at Friday Farm Lunch)
Natalie is known on the farm for her tangy dressings, homemade mayo, and salads. Here is her version of the ages-old ‘Cole Slaw’. Thanks Natalie for sharing this.
Ingredients:
1 head cabbage (mixed red and green if available)
2 grated carrots (more if carrots are small, less if big)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
1/3 – ½ cup sweet pickle relish (the somewhat spicy FrogRanch peppered pickles are excellent)
2 or more pinches of fresh dill and parsley, finely chopped
Dressing: (for 1 cup; you may want more or less)
2/3 cup of Natalie’s homemade Mayonnaise (see below) or other mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
2 Tbls. honey
2 Tbls. yellow mustard
a pinch of cayenne
2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced or pressed
Directions:
Grate or chop the cabbage into pieces sized like you like them. (To have a less watery cabbage, chop the cabbage and salt it; massage the salt into the pieces to release the excess Water in the cabbage. Then drain the cabbage before mixing in the other ingredients.) Combine all of the chopped and minced ingredients in a large bowl. Combine he ingredients for the dressing. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and stir to coat all of the pieces. Cover and chill.
Natalie’s Mayonnaise (used to make the coleslaw dressing)
Ingredients:
1 cup canola or grapeseed oil
1 Tbls. lemon juice or vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 egg yolk at room temperature
Combine the yolk, vinegar or lemon juice and salt in a mixing bowl. Begin whisking while adding the oil using a very slow drizzle. (Be patient- adding the oil too quickly means the oil won’t emulsify and the mayonnaise won’t thicken.) Keep whisking slowly, slowly adding the oil until the mixture starts to thicken. At this point of thickening, the oil can be added more quickly until desired consistency is reached.
Cucumber – Cilantro Raita
from: allrecipes.com
Ingredients:
2 cups plain yogurt
1 Tbls chopped cilantro
1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and diced
1 green chile pepper, minced 1 tsp. salt
Directions:
Stir the yogurt, cucumber, chile pepper, cilantro, and salt together in a bowl until evenly mixed. Set aside in refrigerator for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to mix before serving cold.
Kelleigh’s Warm Shiitake Salad
from: food.com
Ingredients:
1 cup red onion ( ¼” slices)
1 lb shiitake mushrooms (stems removed)
3 Tbls. peanut oil
1 – 2 Tbls. rice wine vinegar
1 tps. sesame oil
1 clove of garlic (minced)
1 scallion (roughly chopped)
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
Directions:
1.) Slice the red onion. 2.) Remove stems from shiitakes. 3.) Combine oils, vinegar, garlic,scallion, salt, and pepper and mix. 4.) Add sliced onions and shiitakes into marinade and mix. 5.) Allow to sit out at room temperature for at least ½ hour. 6.) Allow grill to heat to medium-high heat. 7.) Grill mushrooms until there are grill marks and they are soft. 8.) Grill the onions until tender and starting to caramelize. 9.) Place back in bowl with marinade and toss. Serve warm.
Braised Swiss Chard with Currants and Feta
from epicurious.com
Ingredients:
1 bunch Swiss chard
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tbls olive oil
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp black pepper
3 Tbsp dried currants
1/3 cup water
1 ½ ounces feta, crumbled (1/3 cup)
Directions:
Cut stem and center ribs from chard, discarding any tough parts near base, then cut stems and ribs crosswise into ¾” thick slices. Coarsely chop leaves.
Cook garlic in oil in a 4-qt. heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until pale golden, 1-2 minutes. Add chard stems and ribs, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes. Add currants and cook, stirring until plump, about 1 minute. Add chard leaves and water and increase heat to moderate, and then cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until leaves are tender, 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in feta.
