ATHENS HILLS WINTER CSA:

WEEK SEVEN

Hello Everyone!

I hear this week we will be enjoying some warmer temperatures. Every winter I find it amusing to think that 40F is warm, but you can really feel the difference. We did have a couple of sunny days to work with this past week and those days were heavenly working in our greenhouses. All of the veggies have survived the frigid nights and are doing well so far this season, and we’ve noticed how they are responding to the ever-increasing amount of daylight. It’s neat to notice those gradual, yet significant, changes here on the farm.

So this week I will begin our Green Edge Gardens profiles. It is only fitting to start with our wonderful and persevering owners, so allow me to present to you Kip & Becky Rondy!

Best Wishes,

Claudia

KIP & BECKY RONDY

Kip & Becky have spent over twenty years on the farm where your food is grown. After their garden center and estate management business in Cincinnati closed to due eminent domain issues, they returned to the farm to once again do what they love...growing organic produce. The goal is to create a model where the folks who work here get decent wages and other benefits, as well as great food to take home with them. Becky is in the office, while Kip takes care of the microgreens house and other building, farm, and equipment maintenance.

FEATURED VEGGIES

1 qt. Heirlooms Tomatoes Last summer, there was a bumper tomato crop. We canned the extras to share with you, our winter members. So enjoy a taste of summer!

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 Pac Choi (similar to our delicious Tatsoi, this veggie is related to Bok Choi and is also a member of the cabbage family. Some wonderful complimentary flavors to this great Chinese veggie are lemon juice, peanut oil, sesame oil, soy sauce or tamari, butter, coconut milk, basil, chili powder, cilantro, coriander, rosemary and tarragon. Cook as you would any of our other delicious greens.)

10oz. Spinach (many of you are very familiar with this gem, so I will just suggest that to get the best out of it, blanch it, steam it, or sauté it only briefly if you are going to cook it at all. The bright green color is what you want, so enjoy rediscovering this beauty.)

3lbs. Rutabaga (a wonderful winter root vegetable that is often used interchangeably with turnips. However, these hearty veggies are sweeter and are a great substitute to mashed potatoes. Chop and boil to do so, or you can roast or braise the rutabagas. They are even great julienned small and added to your favorite salad raw. Some flavors that go well with this veggie are honey, raisins, allspice, cumin, dill, garlic, mustard, butter, cream cheese, lemon juice & olive oil.)

Recipe: Dilled Rutabagas with Bacon (Serves 4-6)

3lbs. rutabagas

2tsp. sugar

1 ½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. dill

1inch boiling water

1/3 C. sour cream

1/8 tsp. ground black

pepper

2tsp. fresh lemon juice

6 slices of bacon

Place the first 4 ingredients in a 2 ½ quart saucepan. Add 1 inch boiling water. Cover, bring to boiling, and cook 10 minutes. Drain and discard water.

Mix rutabaga lightly with sour cream, black pepper and lemon juice. Turn into a 1 ½ quart casserole. Cover.

Bake for 20 minutes or until rutabagas are tender. Cook bacon until about half done. Arrange the half-cooked slices over the top of the casserole. Place under a broiler to brown and crisp. Serve hot and enjoy!

(Recipe courtesy of The Spice Cookbook, 1964)

To store Rutabagas simply keep in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. They will keep for several weeks if not longer this way.

Recipe: Creamy Mustard Dressing

(Makes about 1 cup)

2 Tbs. Dijon mustard

¼ C. dry white wine

½ C. extra virgin olive oil

3 Tbs. red wine vinegar

salt & pepper to taste

a dash of cayenne

¼ C. firm yogurt

Combine everything in a medium-small bowl. Whisk until uniform. Store in a tightly lidded container in the refrigerator.

Orange & Sesame Dressing

(Makes a scant 2 cups)

1 C. orange juice

¼ C. red wine vinegar

½ C. canola oil

2 Tbs. Chinese sesame oil

1 Tbs. soy sauce

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. dry mustard

1 Tbs. minced fresh dill or

1 tsp. dried)

1 large clove garlic, minced

Combine everything in a small jar with a lid. Cover tightly and shake until well balanced. Refrigerate; shake well before serving.

(Recipes courtesy of The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, 2000)

Recipe: Spinach Soufflé (Serves 4)

3 Tbs. butter

3 Tbs. flour

1 C. milk

½ tsp. salt

4 egg yolks

1 C. cooked spinach, chopped

5 egg whites

Preheat the oven to 375F. Melt the butter in the upper part of a double boiler. Blend in the flour, stirring constantly. Add, still stirring, the cup of milk and continue stirring until mixture thickens. Season with the salt.

When the mixture had cooled slightly, beat the egg yolks and add to the mixture and blend well. Fold in the spinach; then gently fold in the beaten egg whites. Place in a 2-quart baking dish. Bake for 35-50 minutes, or until soufflé is lightly browned and well puffed. Serve immediately and enjoy!

(Recipe courtesy of The Fireside Cook Book, 1949)

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!