Week 12 Offerings

Veggie List for Week 11:
Pickups: 9/1 & 9/4
SALAD MIX!
Eggplant
Red & Blue Potatoes
Sunflower Microgreens
Shiitake Mushrooms
Tomatoes (Slicers & Heirlooms)

Week 11 Newsletter

Week #11 August 25, 2010


    As last week’s newsletter suggested, we have been and are still struggling with the excess moisture. Now, added to this are cool evenings. This is a sure-fire combination for disease. Monday morning when the crew went to harvest basil for the Monday orders, they found sad news. Hundreds of pounds of basil (yes, all of the sweet) were ruined by a new form of downy mildew that is specific to basil. The entire crop had to be cut down and removed. It was first identified in 2000 in Switzerland, and then throughout Europe by 2004. Basil seeds were not quarantined, although their contamination was known. This fungus now resides year-long in Florida. Now, it has migrated to the north on the air currents. The folks at OSU and Cornell University helped us identify this problem. The only known controls include dry leaves, moving air, and warmth to keep the fungus from reappearing. Basil is gone for the rest of the season.
    Greg is making good progress on the new endwalls despite running between the raindrops. The corner posts are set for the new greenhouse, and the two end brackets have been erected. Mowing continues to be a challenge since the priority for the tractor must be preparation of the fields for the winter cover crops. Our annual organic inspection is done. The comment from the inspector was “No issues of concern, very well managed organic operation, model of organic integrity”. We were pleased that our efforts and standards are acknowledged. In a later conversation, he explained that he was thinking of the closed system in the microhouse, the use of the mushrooms blocks (in our compost) to inoculate the soil with mycelia for the field crops, and the small amount of waste in our systems.
    This Thursday, two 8th grade classes are visiting. The collaboration of their science and math teachers means those classes will revolve around the tasks of growing crops in the garden behind the school this fall. We are helping choose seeds that will grow there, talking about production and the keeping numbers to help us make decisions. We hope this is the first of many visits!
    Have a great week! From all of us at Green Edge: Becky (Kip, Dan, John, Cale, Rob, Julia, Penny, Guinevere, Morgan, Martin, Geoff, and Maria)

THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES
Blue Potatoes - This is a new crop for us. We’re learning about this as you are. Let us know what you think. Is it something to keep? We’re happy to share them now with you!

Tomatoes - Lovely, round, red slicing tomatoes are in your share this week. Calling them ‘slicers’ just means that when sliced they remain firm. Don’t let that stop you from cooking them. Heat brings out their natural sugars.
Mushrooms - This week’s mu-shrooms are shiitake. Bold flavored and meaty, shiitakes are many people’s favorite, both for flavor and versatility.
Sunflower Microgreens - If you’re not familiar with micro-greens, you are in for a surprise! Unlike sprouts (which are only grown in water), these are grown in soil and therefore im-part the nutritional additions from the soil. These have a mild, almost nutty flavor and are juicy and crunchy.
Summer Squash – The varieties of squash we grow: Patty Pan, Sunburst, Yellow Squash, and Zucchini. Sauté, steam or grill - another great ingredient for vegetable shish kabobs.
BELL PEPPERS - As members of the nightshade family, these plants like tomatoes and eggplants like it hot and dry. Last week, we stuffed these with rice and sautéed veggies like eggplants, hot wax peppers, corn, garlic, and onions, and lots of basil, parsley, and cilantro. Topped with tomato sauce from the garden, it was a hit.
Green Beans - We are excited to have green beans for your this week. The variety is an old standby called ‘Provider’. Check the 2nd page for an interesting recipe for these.

The Combo Corner
The fruit selections from Cherry Orchard are Golden Supreme apples, White Hale and Arctic Giant, two varieties of juicy white peaches, and seedless grapes. Oh wow….

This week’s bread from The Village Bakery and Café is Bo’s Brown Bread, made with 100% whole grain flour with sprouted wheat. Mmmm…
The cheese share from Integration Acres this week includes Smokey Goat and Cheddar. Yum…..

The CSA team met on Tuesday to finalize the de-tails for the Winter 2011 cycle. It runs from December through April with two weeks off in December for the holidays. In the next weeks, Rob will be emailing past and current members with all of the Early Reser-vation details. Interest this season has already matched inquiries from all of last winter! We’re a little amazed.
 
Recipe: Rosemary Roasted Blue Potatoes

1 pound small blue pota- toes, unpeeled but washed whole, any sprouts or bruises removed
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons dried rose mary leaves, slightly crushed
1 tablespoon sea salt, slightly crushed
Method: Pre-heat oven to 4000 F. Cover bottom of natural finish skillet with heat-resistant handle (cast iron works best) with the oil. Cut potatoes into quarters, add to skillet and toss to coat with oil. Position skillet on middle rack of oven. Roast potatoes for 20 minutes. Turn off oven heat. Stir potatoes and keep them in oven another 10 minutes. Stir potatoes one last time, then transfer to a serving bowl, tossing the rosemary and salt mix-ture over them. Serves 4

~ from TheWellSeasoned-Cook.Blogspot.com

Recipe: BREADED SQUASH FANS

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Yield: 6-8 servings
6-8 small summer squash
½ cup all-purpose unbleached flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup bread crumbs
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ cup olive oil
Slice each squash lengthwise every ¼ inch, leaving all the slices connected at the ‘neck’ of the squash. Parboil the squash for 3 minutes and drain well. Spread out each squash in a fan pattern. Place the flour, salt, and pepper in one bowl; the eggs in another bowl; and the bread crumbs, cheese, and herbs in a third bowl. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Dip the squash in the flour, then in the eggs, and then coat with the bread crumbs. Brown the squash on both sides. Serve hot.

Recipe: Masala Beans with Fenugreek

1 medium onion
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic pulp
¼ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tomato, quartered
8 ounces green beans
1 bunch fresh fenugreek leaves, stems discarded
4 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Roughly chop the onion. Mix together the ground cumin and coriander, sesame seeds, chili powder, garlic, turmeric, and salt.
Place all of these ingredients, including the onion, in a food processor and process for 30-45 seconds.
In a medium saucepan, heat the oil and fry the spice mixture for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the tomato, green beans, fresh fenugreek, and fresh coriander.
Stir-fry for about 5 minutes, sprinkle in the lemon juice, and serve.
“Masala” means spice and this vegetarian dish is spicy, though not necessarily hot.
~from: THE COMPLETE BOOK OF INDIAN COOKING, Husain and Fernanadez, 2005.

The GREEN BAGS and BOXES provided by us for you to carry your veggies is actually on loan to you for the season. We have two per member, so please return your GREEN BAG and BOX each week that you pick up. We are happy to support the goal for allto use fewer resources. But you need to help by joining with us in the effort to keep the GREEN BAGS and BOXES in the recycling loop. Thanks so much!
A recent bag count reveals that green bags are being returned with some regularity. Thanks so much for your attention!

Veggie List for Week 11

Veggie List for Week 11:
Pickups 8/25 & 8/28

Potatoes (Blue)
Peppers
Tomatoes (Slicers)
Sunflower Microgreens
Green Beans
Summer Squash

Update:  Shiitake Mushrooms will replace Basil in your shares this week!

Recipe

We have an additional recipe this week, thanks to Mary, a CSA member in New Albany.

Recipe: Swiss Chard, Mushroom, Ham & Tomato Crustless Quiche

"I found a recipe on Food.com for Swiss Chard and Tomato Frittata, but had a few other ingredients I decided to incorporate and then I decided to bake it in the oven in a pie plate instead of in the pan on the stovetop. This worked great with my share of CSA veggies for the week so I thought I would share it with other CSA members."
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time 35-40 minutes
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
• bunch of swiss chard (about ½ of my share)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 6 oyster mushrooms, diced
• 3 med-thick slices of Ham (I had leftover to use up)
• 2 tsp. Olive oil
• 3 whole eggs + 2 egg whites
• ½ cup Half & Half
• ¼ tsp. Salt & Pepper
• 1 cup of 50% Cabot Reduced Fat Cheese (freshly shredded)
• 1 Med. Tomato, sliced
• 3 Tbsp. Sliced Fresh Basil, chopped
Directions
1. Chop Chard, Onion, Garlic and Mushrooms.
2. In a skillet saute the onion and garlic in Olive Oil.
3. Add the Chard and mushrooms, cover and lower the heat and cook for about 10 minutes.
4. Add ham during last few minutes to warm it up.
5. While that cooks, beat eggs, salt and pepper + Half & Half in a bowl
6. Coat bottom of Pie Plate with spritz of olive oil, then put chard, onion, mushroom, ham mixture in bottom of pie plate.
7. Pour egg mixture on top and top with ¾ of the cheese.
8. Arrange Tomato slices on top and sprinkle remaining cheese on tomatoes and then the sprinkle with basil.
9. Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. (It may appear runny due to the juice from Tomatoes, but is done)
NOTE: My kids loved it and the color was so appealing!




                         

Week 10 Newsletter

Week 10 Newsletter: Pickups 8/18 & 8/21
     With the humidity almost gone and a temperature that’s at least ten degrees cooler, mundane sweaty tasks are almost fun! The entire crew is very grateful for this change. On Sunday, right before the storm, I was sure that I smelled fall in the air, and the unmown pastures have taken on the dull green look that comes with autumn. There are still plenty of hot days to come though, of that we are certain.
     This week, Kip’s brother Greg, has joined us. He will be building new end-walls for two of the greenhouses. We had tried to use a new system that closes with zippers, and they were great for one year, but didn’t hold up. So we return to the old standby method. Also, all of the greenhouses are getting new doors. Those of you who were with us last year or for winter will recall that Greg came down to build the newest greenhouse last fall.
     This weekend news was released about the federal court decision that overturns the USDA’s approval of ‘Roundup-Ready’ sugar beets. This is the second time a court has overturned the USDA’s approval for a GE (genetically engineered) crop. Earlier this year you may have heard about the GE alfalfa ban that was upheld. For those who may not know, a GE crop when planted next to a non-GE crop will cross-pollinate eventually making all of the seeds in the area GE. When the seeds are tested, the owner of the non-GE crops is sued by the seed company because they are growing crops from a patented seed they didn’t purchase.
     A second bit of news from Washington, DC concerns the S.510 Food Safety Bill. Both parties in the senate have been working together and have reached agreements that probably assure its passage when it comes to the floor for a vote this fall. Small farmers have been very concerned about the provisions that regulate what can be sold and to whom. If you are interested in learning more, look below for some live links to websites that are informative.
     We are continuing to struggle with the remnants of the wet summer. Here’s to salad mix coming soon! Have a great week.

From all of us at Green Edge,
Becky (Kip, Dan, John, Rob, Cale, Julia, Penny, Guinevere, Morgan, Martin, Geoff, and Maria

Center for Food Safety: http://truefoodnow.org/?CFID=24101405&CFTOKEN=93396429
This link tells about the GE Sugar beets.

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition: http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/senate-food-safety-bill/
This is a link that explains the S.510 Food Safety Bill.

THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES

Sweet Basil – We know you have been getting a lot of basil this season. We have a lot of basil. New recipes for bail on the 3rd page.
Mushrooms - This week’s mu-shrooms are either shiitake or any of the three oyster mushrooms (yellow, white, or blue) that we grow.
Sunflower Microgreens - We welcome the microgreens back. These crunchy and juicy treasures are also good for you! Try them on salads of course, but also in wraps, on pizza, or all by themselves!
Tomatoes – This week the tomato selections include slicers and some differing varieties of heirloom tomatoes. Some of these are really big. Besides the delicious flavor, they are also very fragile. Don’t squeezes too hard – they’ll bruise easily.
Swiss Chard- There are several recipes for chard on the 2nd page. I tried to select them for ‘something a little different’. Hope they’re useful, inspiring, and you find them delicious.
Peppers - Green peppers are one of the few veggies that can be frozen without blanching. If you can’t use all of them, consider chopping and freezing some for great soups and stews this winter.

The Combo Corner

The fruit selections from Cherry Orchard are Gala apples, white seedless grapes, and peaches.
This week’s bread from The Village Bakery and Café is the French Galett.
The cheese share from Integration Acres this week includes Feta and Aged Raw Milk Gouda.

Recipe:  Swiss Chard with Caramelized Onions and Pine Nuts – Here’s another recipe for Swiss Chard. It’s from a website or blog called chowhound, and this is from a contributor called janniecooks.

Ingredients: 2 Tbl. pine nuts
1 Tbl. EV olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 bunch swiss chard, about a pound, washed, leaves and stalks separated
2 Tbl golden raisins
2 Tbl balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp. salt ground black pepper to taste
Directions: Toast the pine nuts until golden brown, set aside to cool. In a large deep skillet or a dutch oven heat the oil over medium-low heat, add the onions and cook them until golden brown and very soft, stirring from time to time, for about 10 mins.
While the onions are cooking, cut the chard stalks into strips 2 inches long by ¼ “ wide and tear the leaves into 2” pieces.
Add the chard stalks and raisins to the onions and cook them until the stalks are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally while the stalks are cook-ing. Once tender add the leaves and vinegar, toss all about to coat the leaves with the oil, and cook about 5 minutes or until the leaves are wilted and tender. Season with salt and pepper, transfer to a serving dish & top with the reserved pine nuts.

Recipe: Chard, Onion, and Gruy`ere Panade (Bread Casserole) 8 servings prep 30 mins. total 2 ½ hrs.

1 ½ lbs. thickly sliced yellow onions, a sweet variety if possible (about 6 cups.)
½ cup mild-tasting olive oil 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
salt
1 lb. green Swiss chard, thick ribs removed and cut into 1” wide ribbons
water, as needed
10 ounces day-old chewy peasant-style bread, cut into 1” cubes (8-10 cups)
3-4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (or any other flavorful stock)
6 ounces fontina, gruyere, or another melting cheese, coarsely grated (a combination works well)
To Prepare Onions: Place the onions in a deep sauce pan (or Dutch oven) and drizzle with oil to coat, about 1/4 cup. Set over medium-high heat and, shimmying the pan occasionally, cook until the bottom layer of onions is slightly golden around the edges, about 3 minutes. Stir and repeat. Once the second layer of onions has colored, reduce heat to low and stir in garlic and a few pinches of salt. Stew, stirring occasionally, until onions are a pale amber and tender but not mushy, about another 20 minutes. If at any point the opinions dry, cover them to trap some moisture.
Preheat the oven to 3250.
To prepare chard: Place a few handfuls of leaves in a large sauté pan or skillet with a drizzle of oil, as sprinkling of water (just washed chard may have enough), and a few pinches of salt. Set the pan over medium hear until the water begins to steam, then reduce the heat and stir and fold leaves until just wilted, 3-4 minutes. (Leaves should be uniformly bright green, the white veins pliable.)
To Prepare bread: Toss and massage the cubed bread with a few tablespoons of olive oil, a generous ¼ cup of the stock and a few pinches of salt, to taste.
To prepare panade: Use a flameproof, 3-qt. soufflé dish or enameled cast-iron Dutch oven. Assemble the panade in layers, starting with a generous smear of onions, followed by a loose mosaic of bread cubes, a second layer of onions, a wrinkled blanket of chard, and a handful of the cheese. Repeat, starting with the bread, the onions and so on, until the dish is brimming. Aim for 2 to 3 layers of each component, then make sure the top layer displays a little of everything. Irregularity in the layers makes the final product more interesting and lovely. Drizzle with any remaining olive oil.
Bring the remaining 3 ¾ cups of stock to a simmer and taste for salt. Add stock slowly, in doses, around the edge of the dish. For a very juicy, soft panade, best served on its own, like a soup or risotto, add stock nearly to the rim; for a firm but succulent panade, nice as a side dish, fill to about 1” below the rim. Wait for a minute for the stock to be absorbed, than add more to return to the desired depth. The panade may rise a little as the bread swells.

Set panade over low heat and bring to a simmer; look for bubbles around the edges (heating it here saves at least 30 minutes of oven time.)
Cover the top of the panade with parchment paper, then very loosely wrap the top and sides with foil. Place a separate sheet of foil under the panade or on the rack below it, to catch drips.
Bake until the panade is piping hot and bubbly. It will ride a little, lifting the foil with it. The top should be pale golden in the center and slightly darker on the edges. This usually takes about 1 ½ hours, but varies according to shape and material of baking dish and oven.
Browning and serving: Uncover panade, raise temperature to 3750 F, and leave until golden brown on top. 10 to 20 minutes. Slide a knife down the side of the dish and check the consistency of the panade. Beneath the crust, it should be very satiny and it should ooze liquid as you press against it with the blade of the knife. If it seems dry, add a few tablespoons simmering stock and bake for 10 more minutes.

Recipe:  Sweet Basil Dressing

¼ cup fresh basil or 1 tsp dry
1 tbl dry minced onion, or 1/3 cup fresh
1 cup milk, (soy, nut, skim)
½ cup raw cashews
¾ tsp salt
1/8 tsp thyme or 1 tbl fresh
2 tbl lemon juice
½ tsp garlic salt
In a blender, whiz all but lemon juice; add lemon juice and blend until smooth. Chill.

Recipe: PASTA PUTTANESCA

1 Lb. pasta, cooked al dente’
1 lb. fresh ripe plum tomatoes, peeled (or canned)
12 black oil-cured olives, pitted (optional)
4-6 anchovy fillets 1 tbl. butter (optional-no subs)
¼ cup EV olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
6 large basil leaves, minced or ½ tsp dried
¼ tsp dried oregano
1 green or red bell pepper (opt.)
4-5 large garlic cloves, minced
pinch of red hot pepper flakes
1 tbl fresh Italian parsley, minced
½ lb fresh mushrooms (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste
This sauce is prepared more quickly if all the ingredients are coarsely chopped in a food pro-cessor, but this may also be done by hand.
Sauté chopped onion in olive oil or in butter until lightly colored. Add whole cloves of garlic and sauté until lightly golden and soft; mash the garlic into the olive oil using a fork.

Add chopped ingredients (except parsley and mu-shrooms) and simmer over medium low heat 10 to 15 minutes. Add the parsley and mushrooms halfway through the cooking.
Chopped (ground meat contains too much fat) meat may be added to the sauce and the anchovies omitted; good choices are Canadian bacon, ham, prosciutto, pork, lean salt pork or pancetta. Sauté with the onions and garlic in the first step and simmer the sauce 5 minutes. longer.
~ from Cooks.com

Week 10 Offerings

Veggie List for Week 10:
Pickups 8/18 & 8/21

Mushrooms
Sunflower Microgreens
Tomatoes (Heirlooms & Slicers)
Swiss Chard
Peppers
Basil

Week 9 Newsletter

Week 9 Newsletter: Pickups 8/11 and 8/14
  Let me begin this week’s newsletter with an apology to any of our members who were offended by the picture both on the blog and in the newsletter last week of our friend, Art Gish. Two people wrote to tell us of their shock at seeing this, one asking if your CSA money was being used in support of the Palestinian cause. I was a little shocked myself. But let me say an emphatic NO to that question. I used that picture because it was famous and I thought people might recognize him from it if they weren’t familiar with his name. Art was a supporter of non-violence in all things. Who owned the tank was never a concern to him – it was a tank; he opposed it. So what I had wanted in the way of a subtle reminder of how dangerous some farm work can be was just as clear as mud and a dismal failure. And for that, I apologize as well.
  Your share this week is brimming with many of the fruits (literally) from the garden. We are sure you will find them delicious and nutritious! We know you will enjoy all of them whether together or separately. We are expecting the salad mix to return in about 2-3 weeks. Yesterday, part of the crew started the harvest of the potatoes. We weren’t thrilled. The excessive moisture this year has definitely hurt our yield of Kennebecs. Planting continues with crops of herbs like dill and cilantro and greens like kale (yum!) and collards, and of course, Swiss chard. Weeding and hoeing the new plantings is ongoing. The weeds have been record-breaking this year in terms of quantity and size. The amount of dormant seed stored in the soil everywhere must certainly be smaller after so much germinated this season! We just need to mow before they all go to seed again!!
  The canning tomatoes are still available for your needs. Just give us a call before the Tuesday of the week you want them. Remember these are staged for you to be able to process them soon after you receive them. If ignored or left at the host site for too many days, likely, they will develop gnats and may be over-ripe for your purposes. Keep them cool but not refrigerated until processing. Remember, these are not the tomatoes from the grocery. Have a great week and stay hydrated!

From all of us at Green Edge - Becky (Kip, Dan, John, Cale, Julia, Guinevere, Penny, Morgan, Martin, Rob, Geoff, and Maria)

THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES
SWEET BASIL – The official start of summer for us is pesto, and we’ve been enjoying it for several weeks now! We hope you will too! You may also see packages of this in both Columbus Whole Foods. (Look for the Green Edge logo.)
BELL PEPPERS - As members of the nightshade family, these plants, like tomatoes and eggplants, like it hot and dry. Last week, we stuffed these with rice and sautéed veggies like eggplants, hot wax peppers, corn, garlic, onions, and lots of basil, parsley, and cilantro. Topped with tomato sauce from the garden, it was a hit.
EGGPLANT – Last week’s Farm Lunch included Baba Ganouj(sh). There is a new recipe for this from Chef Scott Boles and the Upper Arlington Crop Hop.
TOMATOES - This week you have Amish paste (an heirloom variety), slicing tomatoes, and cherry toma-toes. We grow 2 varieties of cherries: Sweet 100 (red) and Sungold (orange tomato candy).
SUMMER SQUASH – The varieties of squash we grow: Patty Pan, Sunburst, Yellow Squash, and Zuc-chini. Sauté, steam or grill - another great ingredient for vege-table shish kabobs.
SWISS CHARD – These mildly-flavored and tender leaves are perfect for chopping into any number of dishes, hot or cold. Separate the stems and leaves, blanch and go….!

The Combo Corner

The planned fruit selections from Cherry Orchard this week are peaches, nectarines, grapes, and there may be blackberries left for one last time.
This week’s bread from The Village Bakery and Café is Italian Wheat.
The cheese share from Integration Acres this week includes Feta and Chevre’. Cheese this week is for the Athens members only.

Other News from the Farm
Kip is exploring techniques for growing developed by bio-dynamic farmers. Within their system, planting is regulated by the position of the moon in cycles. Each type of plant has several times throughout a month when it has an optimal planting time. I have known other growers and friends who have tried these methods or should we call them schedules. Their results were fairly positive. It will be interesting to see what we discover for ourselves.

We have several rows of experimental grafted heirloom tomatoes growing in our houses and in the fields. Since they were so much smaller and later than our starts when they were planted, they are just now beginning to be the size of the ungrafted, older plants. And so far, we haven’t seen any advantages for these plants. But they are really just starting and the other is only half-way through, so there is still much data to be collected.

This week at the Upper Arlington Crop Hop Shop Hop (I think I have that name right) the Ohio Proud Mobil Kitchen will be preparing and serving food from the vendors at the UA market. The following two recipes are from Chef Scott Boles who is doing the cooking. Hope you are thrilled with the flavors.

Recipe: Heirloom, Peach, and Goat Cheese Salad
Ingredients
1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large fresh peach, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
About 2 lb. sliced heirloom tomatoes
3 ounces crumbled goat cheese
1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans
Freshly ground pepper to taste
(optional Arugula greens or spring mix)
Preparation
Whisk together balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, brown sugar, olive oil, and salt. Stir in diced peach and chopped fresh basil. Spoon over sliced heirloom tomatoes; top with crumbled goat cheese and chopped toasted pecans. Sprinkle with fresh-ly ground pepper to taste
Note: if serving with greens place greens and a bed on plate then place sliced tomatoes on top, and then spoon peach vinaigrette over top.

Recipe: BABA GHANOUJ
3 medium eggplants (about 1 pound each)

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
8 garlic cloves
1 cup well-stirred tahini (sesame seed paste)
1/2 cup sour cream
Olive oil for drizzling
Accompaniments:
pita triangles
chopped onion
chopped drained bottled peperoncini (pickled Tuscan peppers)
chopped pitted Kalamata olives
Preheat broiler or prepare grill.
Prick eggplants in several places with a fork. On a broiler pan or in a shallow baking pan broil eggplants about 3 to 4 inches from heat, turning every 10 to 15 minutes, 45 to 55 minutes, or until charred all over and very soft. (Alternatively, grill eggplants on a well-oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals in same manner.) Cool eggplants until they can be handled and peel off and discard skin, Transfer pulp to a colander set over a bowl. Let eggplant pulp drain 20 minutes and discard any liquid on bowl.
In a food processor blend lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, and salt to taste until smooth. Add eggplant pulp and pulse until a coarse purée. Add tahini and sour cream and pulse just until combined well.
Transfer baba ghanouj to a shallow bowl and drizzle with oil. Serve baba ghanouj with accompaniments.

Veggie List for Week 9: Pickups 8/11 & 8/14

Veggie List for Week 8
Pickups 8/11 & 8/14

Tomatoes
Basil
Peppers
Summer Squash
Eggplant
Swiss Chard
(maybe more, but we have to wait and see what the harvest is)

Week 8 Newsletter

Week 8 Newsletter: Pickup August 8th
    Last week, friends of organic farming, friends of peace and peacemakers, and friends of humankind the world over lost a great and steadfast partner to a tragic farming accident. Our friend and colleague, Art Gish, died when his tractor overturned and caught fire. His memorial service is this Saturday at 2:00 pm at the First United Methodist Church on College Street in Athens (across the street from the parking garage, where for this memorial service, the 5th & 6th floor parking spaces are free.) All are welcome.

    Work here continues. The crew begins work at 7:00 am. If it’s harvest day, the goal is to have everything picked and out of the fields into the packing barn before 9:30. Then the packing crew takes over to process your share. Rinsing, weighing, bagging and bunching (just to name a few) will take them the rest of the day. Others who aren’t packing might be weeding, driving stakes, planting the next round of salad starts, planting seeds – well, the list is almost endless. Kip is beginning the annual mowing of the pond dams. This is necessary to prevent the willows from taking deep root. The roots create little channels that water can follow, leaving the dam weakened. It’s just best not to let them take hold - if possible. Another chore for this week is the beginning of the harvest of this year’s potatoes. The bulk of these will be stored for the Winter 2011 CSA cycle. This is the earliest we have harvested them, but the dry early spring allowed us to plant much earlier than usual.
    There were several members interested in the canning tomatoes. We continue to have them available in 25# boxes. The price is $25.00. Just let us know how many boxes you want, and we’ll have them for your next CSA delivery. And on another veggie note, we are trying a new way for the basil, namely plastic bags. This is not our first choice, but it appears that any amount of warm dry air will cause it to wilt beyond reviving. Please let us know if you have noticed any change in the quality, good or bad. Thanks. We continue to strive to provide you with the finest and fresh-est that we have to offer.

    From all of us at Green Edge,
    Becky (Kip, Dan, John, Cale, Rob, Julia, Penny, Guinevere, Morgan, Martin, and Maria

THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES
Sweet Basil – We love this pun-gent herb for its many and varied uses. When all else fails, you can always dry it for winter soups, stews and sauces.
Mushrooms - This week’s mushrooms are shiitake. Their distinctive flavor will always be a winner! Try them sautéed in an omelet with a nice cheese and some onions. Yummmm!
Yellow Onions - We hope you have enjoyed these fresh and pungent wonders. Wedges on a skewer over a grill enhance their natural sweetness.
Tomatoes - This week you have slicing tomatoes and cherry toma-toes. We grow 2 varieties of cher-ries: Sweet 100 (red) and Sungold (orange tomato candy).
Swiss Chard - We are thrilled to have the chard back. These mildly-flavored and tender leaves are perfect for chopping into any number of dishes, hot or cold. Separate the stems and leaves, blanch and go….!
Beets - Beets with greens are sweet and tender. To remove the skins, place in boiling water for 30 seconds. Skins will slip off. Steam, roast, or boil them. Use the greens as you would kale or chard.
SUMMER SQUASH – The varie-ties of squash we grow: Patty Pan, Sunburst, Yellow Squash, and Zuc-chini. Sauté, steam or grill - another great ingredient for vege-table shish kabobs.
More On Summer Squash: We grow a tasty medley of summer squashes that thrive in the heat of the season. Our zucchini, yellow & pattypan varieties can be enjoyed raw, but also do well grilled whole alongside your favorite meat, fish or other veggies. Marinated or not, their flavor suits any barbeque or picnic. If you find that you prefer to cook them on the stovetop, try adding them to a pasta dish, pizza, stir-fry, or curry. Store them on your countertop if you anticipate eating them right away, or in the crisper drawer of your fridge if you want to save them for later in the week. They should keep this way for least a week if not more.

The Combo Corner
The fruit selections from Cherry Orchard this week are peaches, blackberries, and white grapes.
This week’s bread from The Village Bakery and Café is Buttermilk Whole Wheat.
The cheese share from Integration Acres this week includes Goat Gouda and Griffin’s Dream, an aged chevre’. Cheese this week is for the Columbus Full Cheese or Columbus Full Combo shares only.

PICKUP CONTACT NUMBERS & HOURS
NEW ALBANY – 614-216-9370 3-10pm
TIBET – 614-784-8124 11am-6pm
BEXLEY MARKET-614-252-3951 3-8pm
UPPER ARLINGTON- 614-284-1181 2- 6pm
CLINTONVILLE COOP – 614-261-3663 11 am-8 pm
PLATES STUDIO –DUBLIN - 614-336-9502 4-8 pm
HYACINTH BEAN – 740-594-9302 12-6pm
Please remember to call your host first if problems arise. Since they are closer to you, they can usually resolve the problem. Feel free to call us if the host is unable to help you – 740-448-4021 Thanks!

We are always thrilled to hear from members. Do you have a great way to prepare one of the many veggies you are receiving? Or maybe your mom did. Please feel free to share them with us for the new-sletter or we can just post it to the blog, OR you can leave a comment on the blog with the information.

Missed the Farm Day & can’t stand that you didn’t get to be here? We can accommodate special visits that are arranged in ad-vance. Just give a call.

Twice a year and unannounced, the food safety inspector from the Ohio Dept. of Ag visits and inspects our premises and packing operations. We are always ready to see these folks. Once again, this facility passed with no ticks on the sheet. Yeah to the Green Edge crew members and owners for their willingness to do what is asked.

Next Monday, our other in-spector from O.E.F.F.A. (the organic guy) will be here to make the annual inspection that is so necessary to main-tain our organic certification. His interests include every aspect of the operation from seed sources to distribution logs and everything in be-tween – and you better have documentation. It is a lot of work to keep track of these little bits and bobs of paper, but we are committed to the process and the outcome. We are certain that most of you are too.

Recipe: Pasta Stuffed Tomatoes
6 medium- size tomatoes
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups finely chopped zucchini (or other summer squash)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ cups cooked vermicelli, cut into 1- inch pieces
¼ cup whipping cream salt and pepper
¼ cup crumbled farmer cheese or feta cheese
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
  Scoop out the insides of the tomatoes and reserve to use in a soup. Turn the tomatoes upside down on a paper towel to drain.
In a sauté pan, melt the butter and sauté the zucchini and garlic until the zucchini is tender crisp, 3-5 minutes. Combine the zucchini with the vermicelli and cream and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spoon the filling into the tomatoes and sprinkle the tops with the cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft but still hold their shape. Serve immediately.


Preparation time: 30 minutes Baking Time: 15 minutes Yield: 6 servings
~from Joy of Gardening Cookbook, Ballantyne, 1984


This weekend we made amazing veggie kabobs. We just cut the summer squashes into wedges along with green peppers, onions, cherry tomatoes, eggplant, mushrooms, and beets. I pre-cooked the beets, slipped the skins, and put them into a marinade with the other veggie pieces for about 1 hour. Onto the water-soaked skewer, and grill until veggies are done to your liking. The sweet-ness of a grilled beet is always a treat.
 
Occasionally, you will see an item repeated from one newsletter to the next. This is so that both full and half share members can see information that is of special importance to the CSA. Thanks for your understanding.
 
The GREEN BAGS and BOXES provided by us for you to carry your veggies is actually on loan to you for the season. We have two per member, so please re-turn your GREEN BAG and BOX each week that you pick up. We are happy to support the goal for all to use fewer resources. But you need to help by joining with us in the effort to keep the GREEN BAGS and BOXES in the recycling loop. Thanks so much!

Veggie List for Week 8

Veggie List for 8/4 Pickup:

Yellow Onions
Tomatoes
Basil
Mushrooms
Summer Squash
Swiss Chard
Beets

(Green Peppers were on the list we emailed out, however the harvest was not as big as expected, so you will be receiving more tomatoes in their place)