ATHENS HILLS SUMMER CSA:

WEEK SIX

Hello Everyone!

We need your boxes back! Here at the farm we’ve noticed that we haven’t had the rate of return on the share boxes as we had hoped, so I just wanted to gently remind all of you that we DO need to have the boxes back to make our endeavor to be more sustainable a success. We would love to reuse the boxes so if you could bring them with you on your next pick-up day that would be wonderful! If you would rather not deal with the hassle of hauling the boxes, feel free to bring your own bag to take your share home in instead of the box. We really appreciate your cooperation on this as Green Edge attempts to get greener!

WOW! We had a great Open Farm Day down here in the hills this past Sunday! The sun was shining, the air was cool, the food was fantastic, the goat was well-behaved, the music was lovely and the hayride was entertaining and informative! What more could one possibly ask for? All of us here at the farm really enjoyed visiting with those of you who could make it, and we hope you had a great time too. Thank you to all of you who joined us for the festivities, and for those of you that couldn’t be with us, we missed you.

Dan giving the walking tour...

I am almost beside myself with joy that we have our gorgeous heirloom tomatoes for you all this week. I returned to work from my trip late last week to find out that we had lost the carrots and much of the salad mix to rot. I was heartbroken. There are only a few things that could bring me out of such a funk, and one of them just happened to occur while I was gone as well—the tomatoes were ready! My palate and belly rejoiced with this news and I was quickly cheered up. I hope you all find as much joy in each tasty bite as I do! Happy eating this week!

Best Wishes,

Claudia

P.S. We have included the names & pictures of our different tomato varieties in the post following (below) this newsletter -- be sure to check them out & see which ones you've received!

FEATURED VEGGIES

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

Green Bell Peppers (These beauties are doing great this year! If you can enjoy them right away, think about slicing or chopping them, placing them in a Ziploc and storing them in your freezer for later.)

Eggplant (We grow an Asian variety that is long and slender—wonderful for slicing and sautéing with the summer squash, baking whole to use for baba ganoush, or chopping to add to your favorite slow-cooked tomato sauce.)

Garlic (I would certainly be lost in a kitchen without this staple! Since we are including it in your share so soon after harvesting, this green garlic has a tendency to rot since it hasn’t cured yet. To avoid such a catastrophe, store the heads in your fridge immediately. This way you can enjoy it for several weeks to come.)

Heirloom Tomatoes (A wonderful tasty selection from the many heirlooms that we’re growing this season. To appreciate them individually I would suggest trying a slice of each of them on their own. After that, go nuts using them in all of your favorite tomato recipes. They are truly the best tomatoes around!)

Sweet Basil (One of the true harbingers of summer and we are so happy to have it for you in this share, especially if it is your first. This is essential in your favorite pesto recipe.)

Summer Squash (Picker’s selection from our zucchini, yellow, sunburst or pattypan squashes.)

Beets (Sweet & tasty—enjoy them while you can.)

Music & Dancing at the Farm...

Recipe: Basil Lemon Syrup (Makes about 5 cups)

4 cups packed fresh basil sprigs (top 4 inches; from a ½ pound bunch)
4 cups water
2 cups sugar
9 (4- by 1-inch) strips lemon zest

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Let stand at room temperature, covered, 1 hour, then transfer to an airtight container and chill until cold, about 1 hour. Strain syrup through a sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on and then discarding solids.

Cooks' note: Syrup keeps, covered and chilled, 5 days.

Use this delicious syrup in fresh lemonade, iced tea, or other fun summertime beverages. It might also be tasty over some delicious vanilla or chocolate ice cream—experiment on your own and let us know what wonderful concoctions you come up with.

(Recipe courtesy of Gourmet, 2007 and epicurious.com)

Hayride Tours by Kip...

Recipe: Eggplant Bruschette

(Serves 4)

1 baguette
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 garlic cloves, whole clove left unpeeled
1 small eggplant (1/2 lb) or equivalent of our eggplant (2-3)
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon coarse gray sea salt
1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.

Cut off and discard 1 end of baguette, then cut 12 (1/4-inch-thick) crosswise slices from baguette (reserve remainder for another use). Lightly brush 1 side of each slice with some oil (about 1 tablespoon total) and arrange, oiled sides up, on a baking sheet. Toast until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. While toasts are still warm, rub oiled sides with cut side of garlic clove half, then transfer to a rack to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

Halve eggplant lengthwise and make shallow 1/2-inch-long incisions all over cut sides with tip of a paring knife. Arrange eggplant, cut sides up (without crowding), in a shallow baking dish and add unpeeled garlic clove. Sprinkle thyme, rosemary, oregano, sea salt, and pepper over eggplant, then drizzle eggplant and garlic with 2 tablespoons oil.

Bake until garlic is very tender, 30 to 35 minutes, then transfer garlic to a cutting board and continue to bake eggplant until very tender, 20 to 25 minutes more. When garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze flesh from peel onto cutting board.

Transfer eggplant to cutting board and let stand until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Scrape out flesh with a spoon onto cutting board, discarding peel. Finely chop eggplant and garlic together and transfer to a bowl. Add parsley and remaining tablespoon oil, then stir until combined well. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.

Top toasts with eggplant mixture and sprinkle with cheese.

Cooks' notes:
• Toasts, without eggplant topping, can be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely, then kept in an airtight container at room temperature. Recrisp in a preheated 200°F oven 5 minutes.
• Eggplant mixture, without parsley, can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature, about 1 hour, then stir in parsley.

(Recipe courtesy of Gourmet, 2006 and epicurious.com)

Our Tomato Varieties:

Amish Paste

Purple Calabash

Jubilee

Green Zebra

Cherokee Purple

Nepal

Brandywine

Striped German

Week 6's Featured Vegetables (July 28 - Aug 2)

Micro-Mix

Green Bell Peppers

Eggplant

Tomatoes

Garlic

Basil

Beets

Summer Squash

Usually these will be posted on the Friday before, but with all the preparation for the Open Farm Day, we were a little late. Sorry!

An intern-al perspective: My brush with a utopia!

Hello all,

I write to you from my 10x10 tent pitched on a platform perched on a hillside overlooking an emerald valley—GreenEdge, obviously! Cocooned here beside one of the farm’s 3 ponds, I’m serenaded by the whole gamut of outdoor sounds—frogs, insects, bats, distant dogs, coyotes, raccoons, deer—you’d expect to find on the Rondys’ picturesque plot; there’s nothing quite like awaking at 5:45, descending into the valley and disappearing into foggy orange sorbet sunrise, and looking forward to tending the fields and houses now dormant in ethereal haze. I’ve worked here since May 15 as a summer intern/apprentice and have enjoyed, by sleeping, eating, working, and languishing (only after a full day’s work!), a thoroughly magnified view of the cogs and gears that energize an active organic farm. I came here to absorb the process from seed to shipment, respect the tireless man- and womanpower mobilizing production, meet and work among remarkable people, and finally bathe in a sea of produce we produce ourselves.

Tomorrow, the 23^rd, marks my final day I’ll spend this summer on “paradise found”, so I haven’t been enough of a fixture to have had a true agri-blood transfusion! I’ve seen, though, many of our crops’ impressive life cycles: those little sprigs of basil are now in their stemmy golden years, chard is still scooting along in the fields, and mature squash and potatoes are now grappling for field space with a weed thicket. Our 4 tomato houses are rife with the aroma of ripening beauties and the vines are clamoring up the strings and looking like landscape privacy shrubs! Kate debriefed on much of what we did last week, so I’ll echo her invite to Open Farm Day Sunday the 27^th so you can slice into the “food intimacy” I’ve had.

I’ve learned enough things here about farming, food-friendship, and flotsam-and-jetsam to write a small textbook, but I’ll just choose 5 statements from the file of GreenEdge theses:

• When working here, I entreaty you to consider this: you pick it, someone eats it.
• On 90* days, remember to aerate the greenhouses at 7am so as to not pre-fry the tomatoes. This is called opening. And disengage the electric fence so as to not electrocute Kip Rondy.
• Do not keep food in your tent. The mothmen smell it.
  
• Mind your P’s and Q’s. It gets back to you- aim for semiperfection
• Don’t shove out the renegade thoughts that butt into your potato hoe-down.

As for what I’m doing post-farm, I’ll be easing into life as an Athenian and OU third-year student of cultural anthropology (crops of people...like crops of plants. darn interesting), having studied my first 2 undergrad years at Hiram College near Cleveland. This summer, a kind of sabbatical straddling these two benchmarks, has been a tremendous opportunity to get personal with food, its agents, and my heritage (I grew up in Marietta).

Vegetable vitality to everyone, and see you in the area!

Leah

ATHENS HILLS SUMMER CSA:

WEEK FIVE

Hello Everyone!

The countdown to the Open Farm has begun! The farm crew has been busy beautifying the fields just for you. We are so excited to meet all of you. Please remember to bring a covered dish, a table service and an instrument to play. It is this Sunday afternoon, from 2 – 6 p.m., and we plan to eat around 3. We will be having farm tours by hayride, and gathering together to share fun, laughter, music & good food! If you need directions, they are located here, on the blog.

It appears that all the rain did finally catch up with us. As we began to harvest the last planting, we found that there was nothing much there. It simply rotted away. So, unfortunately that means that there is no Salad Mix for this week and possibly even into the next few weeks. To help you prepare, we will be posting the next week’s featured veggies on Fridays so that you can shop accordingly. Thanks for your understanding!

And don’t forget to return the wax boxes to us when you pick up your next share. We are very excited to have eliminated all of the plastic bags that we used last year by using these boxes. It really helps us to reuse these boxes. Thanks for helping us do a little more for our beautiful planet!

Have a great week everyone and we will see you on Sunday, July 27^th!

Cheers,
Kate

(and the entire Green Edge crew)

FEATURED VEGGIES

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

Mushrooms (Our mushroom guy Rob’s selection from our farm-grown shiitake, oyster or trumpet mushrooms. Be sure to store in the fridge with the bag open.)

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.)

Eggplant (This versatile vegetable is great baked, grilled, or sautéed. Just brush some olive oil on it and your favorite spices such as oregano, basil, and rosemary. I hope you enjoy our purple fruits!)

Beets (Bright, beautiful and not to mention sweet as could be. Break out those canning supplies and start pickling! You’ll want to savor this early season favorite if you don’t eat them all up as soon as you get them!))

Sweet Basil (One of the true harbingers of summer and we are so happy to have it for you in this share, especially if it is your first. This is essential in your favorite pesto recipe.)

Summer Squash (Picker’s selection from our zucchini, yellow, sunburst or pattypan squashes. We love to eat these raw & chopped in our salads, or marinated and grilled alongside your favorite meat. They even make a great slaw! Have fun with these and let us know what you do with these summer treats.)

Recipe: Fried Squash and Zucchini

½ cup Flour
Dark Beer or Creamy Italian Dressing
Vegetable Oil
Squash and/or Zucchini (thinly sliced)
Salt and Pepper

Mix ½ cup of flour with beer or dressing until slightly thicker than pancake batter.

Add salt and pepper to batter. Dip squash into the batter.

Fill the skillet with 1-1 ½ inches of oil. Drop the squash into the oil and fry until golden brown.

This recipe is compliments of my lovely friend, Lou Boyle.

Recipe: Chilled Beet Soup

3 pounds beets
1 tablespoon light olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 to 3 cups water
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 to 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Rice wine vinegar or Champagne vinegar
Sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh dill

Trim beet greens at the base of the beet. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the beets. Reduce the heat and cook, uncovered, at a low boil until tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Test the beets by inserting a paring knife or skewer. If there is no resistance, they are ready to be drained.

Drain when tender and allow to cool or run them under cold water to cool them quickly. Peel, cut into large pieces, and set aside.

Heat oil in a small saute pan, add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt, cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Combine the onion/garlic and beets in a blender or food processor. Add 2 cups stock and puree until smooth. Add water 1 cup at a time until desired consistency, being careful not to make soup too thin. Add the orange juice, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 2 teaspoons vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, and a few pinches of pepper.

Season if needed with lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper. Chill the soup, ladle into bowls. Garnish each with a swirl of sour cream and a sprinkle of dill.

Recipe Courtesy of the Food Network: www.foodnetwork.com/recipes

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

(740) 448-4021 OR

greenedgegardens@verizon.net

Message from Kate

Hi everyone! This is Kate Lainhart and I am one of the Green Edge farmers. I have been at Green Edge for 2 years and I love it! I’m a Nashville, TN native and a Kenyon College graduate. I live in Athens with my wonderful boyfriend, Matt, our dog, Annie and Jack the cat. We are moving to Columbus in 2 weeks so Matt can continue his medical schooling at Doctor’s Hospital. We are very excited about this new stage in our life, but I am having a very hard time finding a job. If anyone has any agricultural/environmental job leads, please give me a call at 615-598-0303 or e-mail me at lainhartk@gmail.com.

This past Thursday was an exciting and productive day. The day started out with weeding the sweet potato patch. These plants were shipped from Delvin Farm, in Nashville. This was the first farm I worked on and where my love for organics began. The sweet potato crop will be harvested in mid-September. They cure for a couple of weeks and then will be a part of the CSA share! After we finished weeding, we planted green beans and sweet basil in the field. We do successional plantings of those crops in order to have a consistent and fresh availability. After planting it was time to pick squash. Zucchini, patty pan, and yellow crookneck are amazingly prolific, so they need to be picked every other day. Planting swiss chard, kale and collard greens was the next task at hand. These fall crops are started in flats in our greenhouse and then transplanted into the field in September.

The last job of the day was to move the mushroom blocks to the compost pile. Our wonderful mushrooms are grown in a climate controlled room on compressed sawdust blocks. The mushroom mycelium is mixed with the sawdust to create the mushrooms. One sawdust brick will only produce mushroom flushes 3-6 times. Fortunately, composted mushroom blocks make fantastic potting soil. The mushroom blocks get piled up outside of the mushroom house, but the compost pile is down the hill on the other side of the farm. This means that the farm truck doubles as a mushroom block dump truck. As I was loading the truck with the blocks, I found a snake! The milk snake and her eggs were keeping cool underneath the block pile. I guess it is that time of year.

I have had such a wonderful time growing and packing your food over the past 2 years. Thanks so much for supporting me and the farm. We couldn’t do it without you! Please come to the OPEN FARM on July 27 so I can meet all of you.

Thanks again and best of wishes,

Kate

ATHENS HILLS SUMMER CSA:

WEEK FOUR

Hello Everyone!

Claudia & her husband, Andy, are traveling for the next two weeks, so Kate & I volunteered to do the newsletter. We are finally getting solid sunshine for several days in a row… it finally feels like summer! This allows the fields to dry out as well as provides some more heat for our tomatoes to ripen. We did have our first ripe tomato this week, so hopefully the others will be coming along very quickly with the heat!

We are busy getting ready for our OPEN FARM DAY on July 27^th from 2 – 6 pm. Bring a dish to share, your own dinnerware, and an instrument if you play! Directions and more information are provided on our blog, and on the Open Farm Invitation postcard.

As a reminder, in an effort to cut down on our carbon footprint we will be discontinuing the paper version of the newsletter starting next week. You will be able to find it on our blog every week. If you would like to receive the paper version (or have the newsletter emailed to you), please contact us this week! Also, we are posting the next week’s featured veggies on Fridays for your convenience.

Also, please remember to return the wax boxes to us when you pick up your next share. We moved to the boxes so that we could reduce the amount of bags we were using, and the wax boxes make us able to reuse them. Thanks for helping us do a little more for our beautiful planet! Have a great week everyone!

Best Wishes,

Margaret

FEATURED VEGGIES

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

Mushrooms (Our mushroom guy Rob’s selection from our farm-grown shiitake, oyster or trumpet mushrooms. Be sure to store in the fridge with the bag open.)

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.)

Eggplant (This versatile vegetable is great baked, grilled, or sautéed. Just brush some olive oil on it and your favorite spices such as oregano, basil, and rosemary. I hope you enjoy our purple fruits!)

Green Garlic (These are newly harvested and are less strong than cured garlic, which takes a while to dry, so you can experiment with these flavorful roots that compliment any dish. Remember to refrigerate as they’re not cured.)

Sweet Basil (One of the true harbingers of summer and we are so happy to have it for you in this share, especially if it is your first. This is essential in your favorite pesto recipe.)

Summer Squash (Picker’s selection from our zucchini, yellow, sunburst or pattypan squashes. We love to eat these raw & chopped in our salads, or marinated and grilled alongside your favorite meat. They even make a great slaw! Have fun with these and let us know what you do with these summer treats.)

Recipe: Eggplant Sauce for Spaghetti

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 t. dried parsley or ¼ c fresh parsley

1 T. olive oil

¼ cup water

2 large eggplants cut in ½-inch cubes (or you can substitute zucchini squash for 1 eggplant)

28 oz. can of whole tomatoes or 8-10 fresh tomatoes, chopped

2 of 6 oz. cans tomato paste

2 t. dried oregano

1 t salt

1 t sugar

dash of pepper

Options: add fresh or canned mushrooms

In saucepan with the oil, sauté onion, garlic and parsley until onion is tender. Add water & and eggplant. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.

Then add the tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, salt, sugar, and pepper (and mushrooms if you like). Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover & simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over hot spaghetti; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

(Recipe courtesy of Extending the Table… A World Community Cookbook, 1991.)

Recipe: Spicy Mid-Eastern Dip

(Makes 1 cup)

1 large eggplant

4-6 T. hot vegetable oil (the oil should be hot enough that the eggplant sizzles when placed in pan)

3 t. peanut butter

3 t. fresh lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

¼ t. salt

Peel & cut the eggplant into ½ inch slices. In the hot oil, sauté eggplant over medium heat until browned and very soft. Place on paper-towels to drain, and set aside for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine peanut butter, lemon juice and garlic. Add cooled eggplant to mixture and blend with a spoon or blender. Season with the salt.

Drain off any excess oil, if any. Excellent as a dip for pita bread, crackers or crisp vegetables.

(Recipe courtesy of Simply Vegetarian, 1993.)

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

OPEN FARM DAY

AT

GREEN EDGE ORGANIC GARDENS

SUNDAY JULY 27^th, 2008

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

(740) 448-4021 OR

greenedgegardens@verizon.net

ATHENS HILLS SUMMER CSA:

WEEK THREE

Hello Everyone!

We are now in the full swing of summer here at the farm. There are so many things that need to get done each day that it is sometimes overwhelming. Since we had a couple of days of rain all of the veggies are doing great, and so are the weeds! Yes, the weeds were threatening to take over the gardens so as you can imagine weeding is high priority. Most of the crew spent the entire day yesterday doing just that, and because of their valiant efforts peace in the vegetable world has been restored once again. Thanks guys!

I hope all of you are enjoying your CSA experience so far. I just wanted to update everyone on a few things that are coming up this summer. Of course we have the OPEN FARM DAY on July 27^th (be sure to bring a dish to share and your own plate and silverware). Also, in an effort to cut down on our carbon footprint, we will be discontinuing the paper version of the newsletter starting the week of July 20th. Instead you will be able to find it on our blog every week! If you would like to receive the paper version or would like to have the newsletter emailed to you, please contact us before July 16^th to make arrangements with Margaret or Becky. Thanks for helping us do a little more for our beautiful planet! 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 kogane (pac choi)).

Mushrooms (Our mushroom guy Rob’s selection from our farm-grown shiitake, oyster or trumpet mushrooms. Be sure to store in the fridge with the bag open.)

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.)

Carrots (We all know the fantastic versatility of this wonderful root! I hope you enjoy our sweet little gems!)

Green Onions (Another of our early season staples, these wonderful roots compliment any salad, stir-fry, veggie tray, etc. Summer wouldn’t be the same without them.)

Sweet Basil (One of the true harbingers of summer and we are so happy to have it for you in this share, especially if it is your first. This is essential in your favorite pesto recipe. To keep basil fresh, do not refrigerate it but simply put it in a glass of water & keep on your counter. It will last for days)

Summer Squash (Picker’s selection from our zucchini, yellow, sunburst or pattypan squashes. We love to eat these raw & chopped in our salads, or marinated and grilled alongside your favorite meat. They even make a great slaw! Have fun with these and let us know what you do with these summer treats.)

Recipe: Swiss Chard and Golden Raisins (Serves 6)

2 1/2 pounds (the average weight of 2 bundles) red Swiss chard
1 1/2 tablespoons (1 1/2 turns around the pan in a slow stream)
extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 pound, 2 slices, pancetta or bacon, chopped
1 small yellow skinned onion, chopped
1/4 cup (2 handfuls) golden raisins
14 ounces chicken stock or broth
Coarse salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, a couple pinches ground or equivalent of freshly grated

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Coarsely chop the greens of clean red chard. Add oil, pancetta, and chopped onion to the pan and cook 2 or 3 minutes until onions begin to soften and pancetta is lightly browned. Add chopped chard to pan in large bunches, adding remaining chard as the greens wilt.

Sprinkle in raisins, pour in broth and season with salt and nutmeg. Bring liquid to a boil, reduce heat and simmer greens 10 to 15 minutes until greens are no longer bitter and you are ready to serve. Raisins will plump as the dish cooks through.

(Recipe courtesy of our Rachel Ray’s 30-Minute Meals & The Food Network, 2008.—Thanks to Kate for this suggestion!))

Recipe: Healthy Carrot Muffins

(Serves 12)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons wheat germ
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch fine salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
4 medium carrots, grated (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple, drained
Special equipment: 12 cup muffin tin

and paper liners

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line twelve 1/2-cup muffin cups with paper muffin liners.

Whisk the flours with the brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In another medium bowl lightly whisk the egg, then whisk in the vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.

Quickly and lightly fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula. Stir in the carrots and pineapple just until evenly moist; the batter will be very thick. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Turn muffins out of the tins and cool on a rack. Serve warm.

(Recipe courtesy of The Food Network Kitchens & The Food Network, 2005.)

ATHENS HILLS SUMMER CSA:

WEEK TWO

Hello Everyone!

We would like to welcome our Athens Half Share members to the Summer 2008 CSA program! We are so happy to have you join us for this bountiful season of produce. Already we have a wonderful abundance of delicious veggies to share with you and we hope everyone enjoys this week’s box of goodies!

This past week we had quite a bit of wet weather here in the hills which was great for all of our veggies out in our fields—they all look fantastic. However, in the Micro House where we grow all things micro, the gray weather tends to have an effect on each tray of greens. For the most part it isn’t anything adverse, but this week our cabbage (the purple-stemmed micro green) could have used a little more sunshine to dry it out and perk it up a bit. What does this mean for you? Well, we would suggest that you enjoy your bag of Micros early in the week because their “shelf-life” is a little shorter than normal since the cabbage was pretty wet when we harvested it. We’re sure you’ll enjoy it just the same!

To start off this season we want to let you know about our OPEN FARM DAY—JULY 27^th. Please mark your calendars and come visit us at the farm. For more information about this event and the daily goings-on here at Green Edge do check out our blog at greenedgegardens.blogspot.com

Best Wishes,

Claudia (on behalf of Becky, Kip, Margaret & the whole farm crew)

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 kogane (pac choi)).

Mushrooms (Our mushroom guy Rob’s selection from our farm-grown shiitake, oyster or trumpet mushrooms. Be sure to store in the fridge with the bag open.)

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.)

Beets (Bright, beautiful and not to mention sweet as could be. Break out those canning supplies and start pickling! You’ll want to savor this early season favorite if you don’t eat them all up as soon as you get them!)

Green Onions (Another of our early season staples, these wonderful roots compliment any salad, stir-fry, veggie tray, etc. Summer wouldn’t be the same without them.)

Parsley (Everyone is familiar with this wonderful herb, but I don’t know if you all have thought about it’s uses in the recipes I’ve included—check them out for a new way to use this tried & true herb staple.)

Sweet Basil (One of the true harbingers of summer and we are so happy to have it for you in this share, especially if it is your first. This is essential in your favorite pesto recipe.)

Recipe: Parsley, Sage and Thyme Oil (Makes about 2 ½ cups)

Herb oils are an excellent ingredient for use in stir-fry cooking as well as salad dressings. This mixed herb combination is a good basic choice, but you can also be adventurous and try other, more exotic ingredients. Adding garlic and chilies to an herb oil produces a fiery condiment; try dribbling a tiny amount on to pasta for extra flavor. Enjoy!

2 ½ C. sunflower oil

½ C. chopped fresh
parsley

1/8 C. chopped fresh

sage

¼ C. chopped fresh

thyme

Pour the oil into a sterilized jar and add all the herbs. Cover and allow to stand at room temperature for about a week, no longer. Stir or shake occasionally during that time

Then strain off the oil into a sterilized bottle and discard the used herbs. Add a fresh sprig or two for decorative purposes if you wish. Seal the jar carefully. Store, preferably in a cool place, for 6 months at the most.

(Recipe courtesy of The Encyclopedia of Herbs & Spices, 1997.)

Recipe: Heritage Farm Bean Salad
(Serves 6)

1 ½ C. any combination of dried beans
½ lb. green beans or mix of yellow wax
beans
1 small red onion, cut into thin rings
3 Tbs. chopped fresh basil (could use
fresh parsley or cilantro as well)
salt & pepper to taste

For the Balsamic Vinaigrette

¼ C. balsamic vinegar
½ C. extra virgin olive oil
¼ C. sugar
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp ground black pepper

Cook dry beans according to directions; drain and cool. Steam green beans until tender but still crisp; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, sugar, mustard, salt & pepper. Add to warm cooked beans. Toss well and let cool. Add green beans, onions and fresh herbs. Toss well. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Garnish with fresh basil leaves. Enjoy!

(Recipe courtesy of Seed Savers Exchange 2008 Catalog: Heirloom Seeds, Books and Gifts, January 2008.)