ATHENS HILLS SUMMER CSA:
WEEK SIXTEEN

Hello Everyone!

Last week was an interesting week here at the farm. Often times we get calls from Ohio University students, particularly those in the Visual Communications Department, who want to come out and shoot some photos of us hard at work. One such student was out with us the week before last and continued to come on and off last week. He chose as his subject our dear boss Kip. Many of you may not know that Kip Rondy is one interesting fella and this student was keen enough to pick up on that. He even accompanied Kip on his Thursday Columbus delivery route, taking photos at every stop along the way. Nothing like having your own paparazzi as you make deliveries to our CSA locations & restaurants! At this rate, we are all wondering just how soon Kip will slip into the realm of celebrity leaving the rest of us in his dust. Well until then, we’ll all just keep pestering and teasing him as we always do!

We also had a few classes from Hocking College visit as well. Kip was their tour guide and they seemed to be captivated and engaged by what they saw and heard. It is nice to have members of our community visit and express interest in what we do out here on a daily basis. That kind of dialog makes us feel more connected to the folks that live, work & study around our area. We welcome all of you to come and visit us anytime here at the farm. If you can’t make it down here, we can still keep in touch on the blog or by email and I encourage you all to do so even after the season is over. Thanks for being part of our community! Have a good week.


Best Wishes,
Claudia

FEATURED VEGGIES

Salad Mix (The salad mix is still doing well and we’ve begun planting the next round of lettuces in the greenhouses for the winter. It is truly wonderful to have these greens fresh throughout the year!)

Swiss Chard (A green that is dear to our hearts here at the farm. The white & multi-colored varieties will certainly bring a special visual zing to your dishes, especially in the recipe I’ve included here this week.)

Mushrooms (You all know these oyster and shiitake mushrooms well by now and this week you get a taste of both. Don’t forget that you can dry them for later use in soups, etc. by baking them on a cookie sheet at the lowest temperature and checking them until they are dry.)

Tomatoes (It is Heirloom central this week in your share. The tomatoes are starting to wind down for the season and soon we will be saying a sad goodbye to these wonderful embodiments of summer.)
Arugula (Is it an herb? Is it a green? I’m not positive but I do know that it is one spicy (peppery) crop that works wonders in a salad. It also makes a fantastic pesto of its own—just use walnuts instead of pine nuts.)

Green Peppers (We are closing in on the end of the bell pepper season as well. If you want to savor their flavor, chop or slice the peppers, place in a Ziploc and store in the freezer.)

Baby Carrots (These sweet treats are a taste of what is to come in a few weeks. We are thinning the carrot beds and these are the rewards we get to pass on to you.)

Recipe: Roasted Baby Carrots & Thyme (Serves 1-2)
1 bunch of baby
carrots
1 bunch of fresh
thyme
4-5 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
1-2 Tbs. oil
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 425F. Scrub and wash the carrots well. Wipe dry. Slice off the tops and any hairy tails. Line a roasting tin with foil. Put in the thin carrots as it is, and halve the slightly thicker ones vertically.From a small bunch of fresh thyme, remove the leaves and add to carrots. Add some stalks as it is too. Chop 4-5 garlic cloves into big pieces and add to tin. I also added layers of one medium onion, but this is optional. Salt the carrots and add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and mix everything well with hands.Bake for 40-45 minutes at 425F. Remove the whole stalks of thyme and serve as a side or use in a wrap or sandwich.

(Recipe courtesy of the online blog Saffron Trail, 2008.)

Recipe: SWEET POTATO QUESADILLAS

2 medium sweet potatoes
1/2 onion
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
1 tsp cumin
chile powder to taste
olive oil for sauté
4 flour tortillas
4 oz. Brie or other medium soft
cheese
2-3 leaves Swiss Chard (or other
greens)

Cut sweet potatoes into chunks, cook in steamer basket or microwave until soft, then mash. Chop and sauté garlic and onion in a large skillet. Add spices and sweet potato, mix well, adding a little water if it’s too sticky. Turn burner very low to keep warm without burning.
Preheat oven to 400. Oil a large baking sheet, spread tortillas on it to lightly oil one side, then spread filling on half of each. Top with slices of Brie and shredded chard, then fold tortillas to close (oiled side out). Bake until browned and crisp (about 15 min.), cut into wedges for serving.

(Recipe courtesy of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, 2007.)

Recipe: Tomato Salad with Pine Nuts & Cheese (Serves 2-4)

4 medium tomatoes, halved and each half
cut into thirds
2 triangles of cheese, roughly pinched off
(I used Laughing Cow; feta would
be nice too)
½ tsp. dried basil
½ tsp. dried oregano
freshly cracked black pepper
salt to taste (if using feta, go easy on the
salt)
2 Tbs. pine nuts--lightly roasted
1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil (optional)

In a bowl, mix in all the ingredients except nuts. Chill for an hour or so. Garnish with toasted nuts just before serving.

(Recipe courtesy of www.saffrontrail.blogspot.com, 2008.)
Let us know what your favorite recipes are for any of our veggies by commenting on this week’s newsletter blog entry, or via email. We love to hear from you!


Have a wonderful week and don’t forget you can contact us at:
(740) 448-4021
greenedgegardens@verizon.net
Or visit us at our blog…
www.greenedgegardens.blogspot.com