ATHENS HILLS WINTER CSA:

WEEK ONE

Hello everyone!

Welcome to your Winter CSA! We are so glad to have you and are equally as excited for a great season full of fabulous taste adventures. If you have supported us in the past, welcome back and thanks for continuing your membership! If you are a first-timer, welcome to the CSA experience, and thank you for deciding to support us, your local farmers!

This season I am trying a few new things with the newsletters. I’ve received some great suggestions from folks who filled out our summer survey, and I am going to give them a whirl this winter. For instance, you will find a brief description of the veggies featured each week on the left, with some history/suggested uses, etc. to help familiarize you with what we grow, and what you will be eating. I will also try to include more recipes if possible. Never fear though, you will always have at least two to work with. If everyone here at Green Edge is willing , in the next couple of newsletters I will be including a little bio of each farm worker so that you might get to know us a little better.

As always, we invite you to visit or contact us at anytime so that we may get to know you a little better as well. We welcome comments, suggestions, recipe ideas, questions, etc., so if you want to get a hold of us before the survey at the end of the season, you may do so by calling or emailing us at

the farm (see end of newsletter for our contact info.) I hope that you all have a great week and I look forward to hearing from you sometime this season!

Best wishes,

Claudia

(on behalf of Kip, Becky, Margaret, Dan, Kate, John, Cale, Penny & Tristan)

FEATURED VEGGIES

4.5 oz Salad Mix (a mix of several lettuce varieties picked for their delicious taste and color combinations)

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

8 oz. Mushrooms (pickers'

choice of our farm-grown shiitake, oyster or trumpet mushrooms.)

1 bunch of Kale (a delightful green from the Brassica family that has a slight cabbage flavor and a sweetness to it as it cooks down; some complimentary flavors include caraway, dill, thyme, marjoram, tarragon, nutmeg and coriander.)

1 bunch of Swiss Chard (another of our favorite greens from the Goosefoot family that had tender leaves that can be eaten raw or steamed, sautéed, etc. along with its crunchy white stems; some complimentary flavors include marjoram, parsley, savory, nutmeg, allspice & paprika. Cook these greens only until they are bright green.)

3 lbs. Sweet Potatoes (our first year growing these beauties; originally from Central America and are part of the Morning Glory family; don’t confuse with Yams which are from Africa and are a totally different vegetable species; keep in a cool, dry place & do not refrigerate.)

1 b. Baby Pac Choy (an Asian Green with flat, misty green stems and broad, oval, rich green leaves. These are wonderful for stir fry and other Asian specialties.)

1 b. Japanese White Turnips or 1 b. Easter Egg Radishes

Recipe: Maple-Roasted Sweet Potato Spears

3 lbs. Sweet Potatoes, scrubbed

and patted dry

2 tsp. Olive Oil

½ tsp. coarse Kosher Salt

¼ C. Pure Maple Syrup

1 Tbs. Cider Vinegar

1 tsp. fresh Thyme Leaves, or

½ tsp. dried

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, and then slice each half into four spears ¾ to 1” wide.

Line a large jelly roll pan or baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly oil. Toss the potato spears with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and the salt in a large bowl. Scatter the sweet potatoes on the prepared pan in a single layer and place in the oven. Roast, turning once, until fork-tender and lightly browned, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the maple syrup, vinegar, and remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Brush this glaze lightly over the roasted potato spears (you may not need it all). Return them to the oven and continue roasting until they are caramelized, about 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the thyme, and serve.

Serves 6-8

(Recipe courtesy of Hayday Country Market Cookbook, 1998)

Recipe: Swiss Chard and Mushroom Crepes

for herbed crepes…

8Tbs. Whole Wheat Flour

1 Whole Egg

1 Egg Yolk

3Tbs. Vegetable Oil

About ¾ C Milk

Vegetable Oil for Griddle/Pan

1tsp. finely chopped Fresh

Tarragon, or 1Tbs. finely

chopped Fresh Dill or

Chives

2Tbs. finely chopped Fresh

Parsley

Combine flour, the whole egg and egg yolk, 3 tablespoons vegetable oil and 4 tablespoons milk in a small bowl, mixer or food processor. Beat the mixture until smooth. Fold the herbs into the batter. Add additional milk to give the batter the consistency of light cream. (It should just coat the back of a metal spoon.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it stand in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

for the filling…

1lb. Fresh Spinach, well-washed

3Tbs. Vegetable Oil

2Tbs. Water

2oz. Fresh Mushrooms, coarsely

chopped

1tsp. Fresh Lemon Juice

4 Egg Yolks

½ C. Ricotta Cheese

½ tsp. Freshly Grated Nutmeg

½ tsp. finely chopped Fresh Garlic

In a large pot, combine the spinach, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and 2 tablespoons water. Cook the spinach over high heat until it wilts, turning it occasionally. (This requires no more than 5 minutes.) Drain the spinach thoroughly in a colander, pressing it as dry as possible. Cool the spinach a little and chop it coarsely.

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a sauté pan. Add the mushrooms and lemon juice, and shake over high heat for 2 minutes. Beat the egg yolks with the ricotta cheese. Add the spinach, mushrooms, nutmeg and garlic. Set aside while you cook the crepes.

When ready to cook the crepes, heat a medium-sized sauté pan (7-10 in. diameter). Arrange near the pan, the batter, a small dish with 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil, a wad of paper towels, a ladle and a spatula. If the batter has thickened, add a little more milk to bring it to the light cream consistency. Dip a paper towel in the oil and wipe out the hot pan. Ladle about 1/3 cup of batter into the pan. Tilt the pan to cover the bottom with a thin coating of batter. Brown the crepe on one side. With the spatula, carefully turn it over to brown the other side. When it is lightly browned, remove the crepe from the pan with the spatula and place it on a wire cake rack. Prepare all of the crepes in the manner, piling one on top of the other on the rack.

When ready to fill, spread approximately 2 tablespoons of the filling on the second side of each crepe. Roll up the crepes snugly and arrange them on a heatproof platter or gratin dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and grated cheese. Brown lightly under the broiler or in a hot oven.

Serves 4-6

(Recipe courtesy of The Gardener’s Helper, 1982)

Have a wonderful week and don’t forget you can contact us at:

(740) 448-4021 OR

greenedgegardens@verizon.net

We look forward to hearing from you!

As a reminder, there will be NO DELIVERY the week of CHRISTMAS, so that we all can enjoy the holidays with our loved ones.

For the week of NEW YEAR’S, your shares will be delivered on Wednesday, January 2^nd. (So, if you were supposed to pick up on 12/25, you will now pick up on 1/2/08, and continue on from that date – either every week or every other week.)