ATHENS HILLS SUMMER CSA
WEEK NINETEEN:
OCTOBER 26th-November 1ST

As the temperature turns chillier this week, we continue to scurry through the slowly dwindling list of tasks to accomplish. And thankfully, it is dwindling... Support trusses are up for the second hothouse and the braces and end walls are next on the agenda. We hope to have the plastic pulled by the end of the week, and then the hot water heat can be installed.
This is the last week for our Columbus Half-Share folks, and we want to tell you thanks for your support. None of this can happen without it. We hope that this experience was as fun and flavorful as you expected; and that you’ll join us again next summer – or better yet, re-join us for the Winter 2010 season.
In line with our end of the season, we will be emailing our Summer ’09 Survey to you this week. You can write your responses and email it back, or print it and post it to us. It doesn’t matter. But please send us your feedback. We need to know, we want to know; knowing makes us better able to please more of you most of the time. We’ve tried to streamline the questions and the response format so that it won’t take longer than 2-3 minutes. Thanks so much!
Some of you may be receiving your share in a brown grocery bag this week. OH My! you say – well, we do need all of the green bags to make this exchange system work. Please if you have some stashed in your other car, or the pantry, or that other place, put them where you will remember them. Maybe the people you are sharing with have one or two? We are trying to stay committed to using them.
After the recipes this week, I have included some links about Issue 2. And though we try to stay focused on ‘the weekly share’, it’s important to give folks the opportunity to hear and read what other local farmers (not the corporate ones) have to say. So, I took some liberty to include these for anyone who hasn’t had time yet.

Best Wishes,
Becky
(on behalf of Kip, Dan, John, Cale, Penny, Eric, Rob, and our interns: Steve & Julia)

FEATURED VEGGIES
Check out the previous newsletters (on our blog) for serving suggestions, storage advice, etc. for each of these vegetables.


Sunflower Microgreens : These crunchy, juicy treats store well in the bag they are packed in. Use them in wraps, salads, or as a snack by themselves. They have a somewhat nutty flavor and most children really like them!

Salad Mix: This gorgeous and delicious mix of greens has returned! Toss a late summer salad while some of the warm-loving veggies are still around.

Dill: This fragrant herb is also great in salads, in soups, or as an addition to fish.

Potatoes: Yellow Finn is the variety of potato this week – good for boiling or baking – and has a buttery flavor.

Kale: Tender and sweet, this delicious green is bursting with flavor. Either Dwarf Siberian or Red Russian is the choice. No difference in preparation, storage, or flavor between them.

Mushrooms: You have shiitakes in the share this week.
To store what you don’t use, keep them in the paper bag, but put it in a plastic bag. This keeps moisture in, but not touching the delicate caps.

Pie Pumpkin: One pie pumpkin is yours today. Treat it like any other for carving, or like any squash for eating. See side recipes for more information.

Salad Radishes: This week’s variety is French Breakfast, a mild, long, slender, crunchy, tasty treat. Great in salads, or salted on a piece of buttered bread.

PUMPKIN 101
Here are some yields that may be useful for you:
7 Lbs. whole pumpkin = 3 ½ Lbs. flesh
1 Lbs. fresh raw pumpkin = 4 C. thinly sliced, diced, or grated OR 2 Cups thickened puree
To prepare the pumpkin for slicing, chopping, or grating, here are some tips: Slice the top and the bottom of the pumpkin so it stands flat. Using a chef’s knife, peel the skin from the pumpkin, following the contour of the flesh. Slice the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds, and slice, chop, or grate the flesh. Cook or bake.

Whether you carve or eat the pie pumpkin, have a great time! Notice how soft your hands are after you’ve deseeded it.


~RADISH BUTTER~
Serve Radish Butter on pumpernickel or a similar dark bread, and it is sure to become a classic in your home, too.

½ Cup butter at room temperature
½ Cup sliced radishes
1 teaspoon lemon juice

In a food processor, cream the butter, and add the radishes and lemon juice. Using the pulsing action, process just enough to finely chop the radishes. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and serve.

Try serving it with white wine of chilled tomato juice. The Radish Butter should be served at room temperature. If made ahead, give it a good stir as the water tends to separate out of the mixture.

from The Joy of Gardening Cookbook, Ballantyne, 1984.

POTATO DILL SOUP
Printed from COOKS.COM
2 tbsp. butter1/2 c. chopped onion4 c. diced potatoes1 1/2 c. water1 tsp. salt2 c. milk1 tsp. dill weed2 tbsp. flour1 c. sour cream

Put in 2 quart pan, melt butter, stir in onion. Stir in potatoes. Cook a few minutes; do not burn. Add water and salt; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Mash potatoes, leaving a few pieces. Add milk, dill and bring to boil. Stir flour into sour cream. Blend into soup with whisk; let stand 5 minutes before serving.

BEEF, BARLEY AND KALE SOUP
Printed from COOKS.COM

Ed. note – This recipe works also with tofu or other meat substitutes. Use veggie broth for beef.
1 tbsp. vegetable oil1 lb. extra lean boneless beef, cut in 1/2" cubes2/3 c. chopped onion6 c. beef broth2 c. diced carrots1/2 c. uncooked barley1 tsp. dried thyme1/2 tsp. salt or to taste (opt.)1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped kale or 1 lb. fresh kale, steamed & chopped8 oz. mushrooms, sliced (about 2 1/2 c.)
1. Heat oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium high heat. Add beef and onion and cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until meat is well browned.
2. Add broth, carrots, barley, thyme and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour or until the meat and barley are nearly tender.
3. Add kale and mushrooms, return to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 to 10 minutes longer until meat, barley and vegetables are tender. Makes 10 cups.
6 to 8 servings.

I think I could go on and on with recipes, but I wanted to use this space as mentioned on page 1 to share the links to the information about Issue 2.
It’s not that we want livestock to be mistreated. In fact, just the opposite is the case.

First, Ohio’s first organic certifying agency, OEFFA : www.oeffa.org/alerts.php


Second, Ohio has caught the attention of the Center for Food Safety in Washington, D.C.:
Actually, I received a great email from them, but it was not ‘linkable’, so here is the site that they point interested people to: http://www.ohioact.org/