Athens Hills CSA

April 22, 2008

ATHENS HILLS WINTER CSA:

WEEK NINETEEN

Hello Everyone!

This past weekend was quite eventful for Green Edge Gardens. On Friday evening we all celebrated mine, Kate’s and Margaret’s birthdays at one of our favorite Athens establishments. We had the place to ourselves to enjoy great food and we were lucky enough to be surrounded by wonderful friends and family, and listen to the sweet sounds of some of our more musical co-workers and friends thanks Penny, Eric, John and Kristin! . Happy birthday to all of you who enjoy spring birthdays!

Green Edge was also proud to be a part of the Conservation Connection Tour - a 'drive yourself'' event which highlighted several businesses in our Amesville neighborhood. We had about 80 people stop and tour. Kip was very busy taking people through the greenhouses and explaining our methods.

This week we are sad to say goodbye to our devoted Columbus Half Share folks. Thanks so much for your support this past Winter Season. We hope you enjoyed your experience and we look forward to having you as part of our farm community next season! Have a great week everyone!

Best Wishes,

Claudia

FEATURED VEGGIES

Salad Mix A mix of several lettuce varieties picked for their delicious taste and color combinations.

Micro Mix A mix of sunflower, buckwheat, radish, cabbage and kogani (pac choi) .

Mushrooms Pickers' choice of our farm-grown shiitake, oyster or trumpet mushrooms. Store these beauties in your refrigerator in a paper bag or in an unsealed plastic bag for a least a week.

Spinach A truly wonderful green vegetable, very nutritious and delicious. It adds wonderful color and texture to a salad when you chop it into strips and toss with the lettuces.

Swiss Chard One of our favorite greens that happens to be growing like gang-busters-- don’t forget that you can blanch, freeze & store it for later.

Kale A wonderful green related to cabbage, collards that is chock full of vitamins and minerals; it is tender and mild in flavor and it’s a great culinary alternative to spinach.

Carrots These orange gems are so versatile it’s hard not to love them. Raw or cooked in your favorite dishes, these favorites pack in the nutrition along with their sweetness.

Radishes A zesty vegetable that not only brightens up a dish, they also add their special crunch and spice. Whenever these appear in our garden, we know spring is here to stay. Enjoy them in your salads, roasted with other vegetables, or plain with a sprinkle of salt to taste.

Recipe: Sunburgers (Serves 4)

1 C. ground sunflower seeds

½ C. grated raw carrots

½ C. celery, chopped fine

2 Tbs. chopped onion

1 Tbs. chopped parsley

1 egg

1 Tbs. soya oil

½ tsp. sea salt

1 Tbs. green pepper, chopped

¼ C. tomato juice

a pinch of basil

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Combine the first nine ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Add enough of the tomato juice to the mixture so that you can form patties that hold a good shape.

Arrange the patties in a shallow baking dish and bake at 350F until browned. Turn and brown the other side.

Serve on a bun with your favorite burger garnishes, or try these in a pita pocket, on their own as a side dish, or make into small patties and serve as an appetizer with your favorite dip or salsa. Enjoy!

(Recipe courtesy of Natural Cooking—The Prevention Way, 1972.)

Recipe: Israeli Salad

6 ripe medium-sized tomatoes

½ C. minced red onion

2 small cucumbers (peeled if necessary), seeded & diced

6 radishes, sliced

2 scallions, minced (include greens)

1 small bell pepper, diced

1 large dill or half-sour pickle, minced

½ C. sliced green olives (optional)

a handful of minced fresh parsley

3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil