ATHENS HILLS CSA
WEEK #17
April 7, 2010
This second beautiful week of spring (or is it early summer?) finds our crew happy to be in shorts and t-shirts! All of the flowering trees and shrubs are putting on an amazing show. Even the branches of our magnolia tree , whose buds always gets nipped, are hanging low with the weight of the blooms. If you recall, this is the week we planned to make up the mushrooms that were missing last month. We are thrilled that the plan worked! You are receiving a double amount of mushrooms, a mix of shiitake and oyster. Use the oyster first, though, since their shelf life is shorter that the shiitakes. If you keep them in the ‘crisper’ drawer of the frig in the paper bag, the shiitakes will last quite a long time. I’ve had them dry that way and that works great for soups or sauces. I do apologize for the spinach absence. With the heat of the days, its re-growth was so slow that we didn’t have quite enough for all of you.
As I mentioned last week, the interns and volunteers are beginning to arrive. Morgan has been on the farm for three days now. Rose and Ryan are two volunteer OU students who come one day a week to lend a hand, learn a lot, and take away a few veggies in the process. Win/win all around. We still have intern candidates coming for visits this month.
With the dry weather (very unusual in April) we’ve been experiencing, the fields are drying nicely, and some beds have been planted for the early summer crops of beets and carrots. The starts are happy, happy (see pictures on the blog), and will soon be ready to transplant to larger pots. Kip has finished hooking up the irrigation pumps, and the feeder hoses will be in place soon. We will post pictures as the process unfolds, so stay tuned. With this dry ground, fencing is now possible – and a good thing - some of those beds have already been planted.
Our thanks to those who have rejoined us for the summer. We are already excited to see what it will bring. And thanks also to those who will re-join us next winter. Please remember to let us know what your plans are , if you haven’t already. Thanks to all of you for remembering to return the boxes. For all the crew,Becky (Kip, Dan, Cale, John, Rob Julia, and Penny; and intern Morgan)
THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES
SALAD MIX - This is our famous blend of lettuces and mild Asian greens. We expect it to last a week, and sometimes longer. Place a paper towel in the bag to absorb the extra moisture and keep moist without being soggy.
MICROMIX MICROGREENS – Use them to add extra crunch and tanginess to a sandwich or a salad. They are sooo good!! They’re great as a snack too. Radishy flavor.
SWISS CHARD– It’s not hard to be amazed by the sheer ability of this plant to grow in all seasons. Refer to past newsletters for recipes, please.
KALE – There is little doubt that Kale is our most popular green. Whether raw as part of a smoothie, or simmered in a tasty soup, kale is hard to beat for its versatility, flavor, and nutritional content. It scores over 100% DV (daily value) for Vitamins A, C, and K.
SHIITAKE or OYSTER MUSHROOMS – You have another week of our tasty mushrooms. They are good on pizza, just sautéed, or in many other dishes. There are some recipes in later in this newsletter.
SALAD RADISHES - The radishes this week are French Breakfast. They are sweet and tangy, crunchy and juicy. Try them on a piece of buttered bread with some salt, a traditional recipe. They’re also great just by themselves.
Great news for all who are closer to the Dublin area!! From the impressive response at the Pilates Center, we may have a drop at their studio too. We will definitely keep you posted. So….tell your friends in that area about us please. And that they can pick up close to home. Thanks!
The Combo Corner from our Athens partners ~
This week’s bread selection from the Village Bakery and Café is Buttermilk Whole Wheat.
The fruit basket has ended for the Winter.
Massaged Kale
Tuesday night we had a great dinner of Mushroom Risotto, Massaged Kale, & Tomato Soup. I had been wanting to try massaged kale for a long time. I was certainly not disappointed. This is a quick way to serve kale that tastes cooked, but uses no heat. This comes to us via Morgan. She says it takes about 10 minutes from start to finish.
You’ll need:
Kale – Salt – Honey - Lemon juice – Olive oil
1. Using 1-2 bunches, rip the leaves from the stems into bite-sized pieces and place in a bowl.
2. Drizzle 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, 1 Tablespoon of honey, ½ teaspoon of salt, and the juice of ½ of a lemon over the kale in the bowl.
3. Massage the oil, honey, salt, etc. into the kale working fingers in a squeezing motion. This takes less than a minute. The longer the massage, the more ‘cooked’ is the kale. The kale is tender and easily digested.
MUSHROOM CURRY
4-6 Servings 45 minutes to prepare
4 Tablespoons butter 2 Cups chopped onion 2 cloves minced garlic 1 Cup chopped celery 1 ½ lb. Chopped mushrooms 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 “ cinnamon 1 “ turmeric 1 “ powdered ginger 1 “ dry mustard ½ “ ground cloves 3 Tablespoons shredded, unsweetened coconut 1 Tablespoon honey Juice from 1 lemon 3 Large tomatoes 2 Large cooking apples 1 ½ teaspoon salt (or more, to taste) Lots of ground black pepper Water to steam (about ¾ cup)
In a large skillet, begin cooking onions and garlic in butter. After a few minutes add salt and spices. When onions are soft, add celery and mushrooms. You may want to add about ½ cup of water at this point, to help prevent sticking (and to make a nice broth.) Mix well, cover, and simmer about 5-8 minutes (low heat).
When celery is slightly tender, add apples and tomatoes)both in 1 ½” slices) and coconut. Mix and continue cooking until everything is just tender, not too mushy. (Additional water might be needed.) Turn off heat. Add honey and lemon juice; mix and let sit, covered.
Serve curry after it has sat for a few minutes. It tastes best when served over rice, with sautéed almonds on top.
~from Moosewood Cookbook, Katzen, 1977 BROCCOLI MUSHROOM NOODLE CASSEROLE 1 ½ HOURS TO PREPARE 6 SERVINGS
Chop and sauté in butter until tender: ~2 Stalks fresh broccoli (use stems as well as flowers peel the tough outer skins and slice thinly.) ~1 Lb. fresh mushrooms ~1 large onion
Salt and pepper lightly. Remove from heat and toss with ¼ cup9 dry white wine.
Beat 3 eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in 3 cups ricotta or cottage cheese (or a combination), and 1 cup sour cream.
Boil 3 cups raw wide flat egg noodles in salted water until slightly underdone. Drain and butter.
Remove sautéed vegetables from pan to cheese mixture with slotted spoon. Add noodles and either 2 tablespoons w heat germ or ¼ cup fine bread crumbs.
Spread into buttered 9 x 13 “ baking pan. Top with more wheat germ or breadcrumbs and 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese.
Bake covered for 30 minutes, the uncovered for 15 minutes more in an oven 3500 F.
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