CSA Newsletter: Week Eighteen

ATHENS HILLS WINTER CSA:

WEEK EIGHTEEN

Hello Everyone!

Here we are nearing the end of our Winter '09 CSA season and I don't know about you, but I feel like it has flown by. While I am excited to see new life spring forth with the change in seasons, I am also sad that we will be saying goodbye in two weeks! Hopefully we will see most of you again next season, but if not thanks so much for joining us over the past five months--it has been a pleasure for us to share the veggies of our labor throughout the winter.

Since we love to get input from our members, we have put together a survey to get some feedback from you about this season's CSA program. Your participation in this short questionnaire will help us improve with our future CSA programs, and will help us know what we are doing well so that we can continue to bring our members great produce and service. I will email the survey later in the week so that you may respond at your leisure over the last few weeks of the Winter season. Thanks so much for your help with this!

This week I've included a recipe for each of the three meals we all eat throughout the day. Since the springtime brings us a wealth of greens, the recipes focus on our spinach, salad, and chard. Don't forget that this is the last week for our fabulous kale, so savor its flavor and sweetness in whatever you decide to make with it. Thanks so much for your support and have a great week this week!

Best Wishes,

Claudia

FEATURED VEGGIES

(If you have questions about any of these veggies, email me and I will do my best to get back to you right away with storage ideas, serving suggestions, etc.)

Micromix Microgreens (Our micros derive their nutrients from the multitude of enzymes and vitamins produced during the sprouting process as well as the nutrients and minerals from the soil they are grown in.)

Salad Mix (This mix of lettuces and Asian greens is sure to satisfy your yearning for something fresh, crisp, and delicious.)

Mushrooms (Our oyster mushrooms epitomize springtime and the bounty the natural world supplies this time of year.)

Kale (Sadly enough this is the last week for this green, so be sure to enjoy its sweetness and versatility. If you join us for summer you will see it again.)

Swiss Chard (Check out the recipe I've included this week for a new way to enjoy this hearty green.)

Spinach (Our spinach is large and in charge this time of year and the culinary possibilities are endless with this fabulous green. Don't forget how nutritious it can be raw and lightly steamed.)

Salad Radishes (What lovely little beacons of spring! Eaten raw or cooked, they will surely help you get into the springtime mood despite the fickle weather.)

Recipe: Strata (Serves 8-10)

7 to 9 pieces of bread,

crust removed

8 to 10 oz. sharp

shredded cheese

6 to 8 oz. Swiss cheese

½ (plus) lb. chopped or

cubed ham

10 oz. spinach (steamed

& moisture re-

moved

3 C. milk

6 eggs

½ tsp. dry mustard

½ tsp. butter (optional)

¾ tsp. salt

¼ C. butter, melted

2 to 3 C. crumbled corn

flakes

Preheat the oven to 350F. Remove crust from bread for each of 2 layers in a 9 X 13 pan. Fit bread closely. Grate and mix together the sharp shredded cheese and Swiss cheese, spreading ½ over each layer of bread. Spread ham liberally over first layer of bread, mixed cheeses, then ham. Repeat bread and cheese layers. Spread spinach over top layer of bread and cheese.

Mix in blender and pour over strata the milk, eggs, dry mustard, ½ teaspoon butter and salt. Cover and refrigerate at least eight hours or overnight. Before baking, melt ¼ C. butter and mix with crumbled corn flakes. Spread on top of strata. Bake for about an hour or until puffy. Let stand at least 10 minutes before serving. Cut into squares for serving.

(Recipe courtesy of Cook Homestead Bed & Breakfast Cookbook, 2007.)

Recipe: Spinach, Strawberry, and Dill Salad (Serves 6)

8 C. fresh spinach, washed

3 scallions, sliced thinly

½ C. hazelnuts, toasted

1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled

and sliced

¼ C. chopped fresh dill

For the dressing...

3 Tbs. red wine vinegar

1 Tbs. honey

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. dry mustard

½ C. extra-virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large bowl, toss the spinach, scallions, hazelnuts, strawberries, and dill.

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, honey, garlic, and mustard. In a slow, thin stream, whisk in the olive oil until blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Just before serving, pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.

(Recipe courtesy of Farms & Foods of Ohio: From Garden Gate to Dinner Plate, 2007.)

Recipe: Swiss Chard-Stuffed Onions (Serves 4)

4 large onions (about 10 oz. each)

2 Tbs. extra olive oil

½ lb. Swiss chard, cut into 1-inch

pieces, washed, and drained

well (4 C.)

2 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed, and

chopped (2 tsp.)

¾ tsp. salt

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

½ lb. sweet Italian sausage meat

2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese

½ C. water

Preheat the oven to 425F. Peel the onions, and remove the stem as well as the root end of each. Arrange the onions in one layer on a large piece of aluminum foil, then fold the foil around the onions to enclose them. Place the foil package on a cookie sheet, and bake on the center rack of the 425-degree oven for 45 minutes. The onions should be somewhat soft and partially cooked at this point.

Cut a ½-inch slice from the top (stem-end) of each onion, and scoop out and reserve the inside to create a receptacle with walls about ½-inch thick. Chop the onion tops and insides coarsely. (You should have about 3 ½ cups of chopped onion.)

Heat the oil until hot but not smoking in a large skillet. Add the chopped onion, and cook for 3 minutes over medium to high heat. Add the Swiss chard, garlic, salt and pepper, and mix well. Cover and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. The mixture should be slightly moist and lightly browned. Let cool to lukewarm, then mix in the sausage meat. Stuff the onions with the chard and sausage mixture, dividing it evenly among them and mounding it so that all the stuffing is used.

Arrange the stuffed onions in a gratin dish, and sprinkle them with the Parmesan. Pour water around the onions in the gratin dish, and bake at 400 degrees for 60 minutes, until brown on top and very soft throughout.

(Recipe courtesy of Jacques Pepin's Kitchen: Cooking with Claudine, 1996.)

I hope you enjoy your share. Have a wonderful week and don’t for get you can contact us at:

740.448.4021

greenedgegardens@verizon.net