Week 12 Newsletter

Week #12 September 1, 2010
    Hot days – cool nights? Seems more like late September, not August. But nothing this year has been typical or ordinary. As we wait to see if the basil will recover enough to share a last little bit, we are completely thrilled to have the Salad Mix back in your share this week. We realize that it’s not too much, but some is better than none in our world! We trust you will agree!
    More field work is the agenda for this week. Mowing and disking the cowpea cover crop is mostly finished which means the ground is prepared for the winter rye. We use the cover crops to protect the topsoil from being blown away in the winter winds. The spring plow-down is then an excellent source of organic matter. We continue to plant the fall greens. The winter roots are thinned and weeded weekly. Soon it will be time to pull the tomatoes from the greenhouses so that we can transition into the greens that will fill the shares this winter.
    The two school groups that visited last week had a great time, and are planning a return trip, probably in the spring. They were lots of fun and full of energy and questions. We’re hoping to have time to show them the whole farm when they return, and not just the fields.
    Kip was thrilled to have the entire fence line around the gardens mowed and trimmed finally. The big commercial mower with the 52” wide cut blew the engine two weeks ago – yes right before the mowing was finished. This meant he had to finish by hand with the weed-eater. It was grueling work. We are hoping to have the mower back soon, but we have to wait for the factory to build a new motor. I think it’s going to cost about what we paid for the mower, but still thousands less than a new one.
    And just as Kip was loading the non-refrigerated items for the Wednesday deliveries, the refrigeration unit on the truck went out again for the 2nd time in two weeks. Fortunately, the guys who take care of it have emergency hours, so to-night’s delay will only be for a few hours. 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)

THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES
Mushrooms - This week’s mushrooms 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.
Salad Mix – We are thrilled to have salad mix back, not only for your shares, but for us too. When we said there was none available, that’s exactly true. All of your farmers have been craving it too. So a big yeah!!! is definitely in order.
Red & Blue Potatoes - These freshly dug beauties are really nice. Use them as you would any potato, steamed, fried, boiled, or roasted, you won’t be sorry (except maybe when they’re gone.)
Eggplant - The eggplant has really slowed its production with these cool nights. Consider chopping them and adding to a mixed veggie dish. They are so mild and creamy.
Tomato - The tomatoes this week are a mix of slicer tomatoes and heirlooms. The heirlooms come in several varieties. Not everyone will get a sample of every kind, but we hope you will enjoy the special flavors and lower acidity of the heirloom tomatoes.

The Combo Corner
The fruit selections from Cherry Orchard this week are Gala apples, Alberta peaches, and either Concord or seedless grapes.
This week’s bread from The Village Bakery is Cinnamon Raisin Multi-grain.
The cheese share from Integration Acres this week includes White Goat Cheddar, and Griffin’s Dream, a French-style aged chevre with the consistency of brie.

More Farm Notes
    The CSA team met on Tuesday to finalize the details 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 Reservation details. Interest this season has already matched inquiries from all of last winter! We’re a little amazed, but excited to have so much interest so early.
    It seems that the canning tomatoes are gone for this season. We hope you were able to put up what you will need for the coming months! Based on the response, we will probably boost those availability numbers a little for next summer.
    Also last week, we mentioned how well folks were doing with the return of the green bags. Again, your responsibility is the reason it’s working, so give yourselves a nice pat on the back!! THANKS!

Recipe: SPINACH & SHIITAKE SALAD WITH CITRUS DRESSING-
www.oak shire.com
4 oz. shiitake mushrooms
6 cups lightly-packed trimmed spinach leaves in bite-sized pieces
1 cup chopped tomatoes
¼ cup grapefruit juice
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ tsp Dijon mustard
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Trim the stem ends of Shiitake Mushrooms; cut mushrooms into thin slices, through the caps and stems. In a large serving bowl place mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes; set aside. In a small bowl whisk together grapefruit juice, oil, mustard, salt and pepper. Just before serving pour over vegetables, tossing gently.
Yield: 4 portions

Recipe: Grilled Shiitake and Vegetable Kabobs with Herb Butter
4 oz. shiitake mushrooms
¼ cup butter or margarine
4 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1¼ tsp dried thyme leaves,
crushed 1/8 tsp salt
1¼ cups zucchini sliced ¾” thick
½ cup sweet red bell pepper cut into 1” squares
½ cup yellow bell pepper cut into 1” squares
Prepare outdoor grill or preheat broiler. Remove stems from shiitake mushrooms (use in stews, to flavor broths, etc.); quarter mushroom caps; set aside. In a small saucepan place butter, thyme and salt; heat and stir until flavors blend, about 1 minute. On skewers, thread reserved mushrooms alternating with zucchini and red and yellow peppers. Place on a rack over outdoor grill or in a broiler pan, 3” from heat source. Brush with butter mixture. Cool, brushing with herbed butter an d turning skewers frequently, until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Recipe: Potato and Shiitake Mushroom Gratin – serves 6
3 Tbl. butter
¾ lbs. mushrooms, chopped
¾ lbs. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 Tbl + 1 ½ tsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried rosemary, crushed
salt to taste ground black pepper to taste
1 cup chicken broth
1 ½ lbs. potatoes, scrubbed
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup heavy cream ½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 cup half-and-half cream
1. Melt butter in a large pot over high heat. Add all mushrooms and sauté until liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, and rosemary; sauté 1 minute. Add chicken broth. Simmer until liquid eva-porates, stirring often, about 18 minutes, Season with salt and pepper. Cool.
2. Position 1 rack in the middle of the oven, and another rack in the bottom third of oven. Preheat to 3750 F. Butter a 9x9x2 inch baking dish.
3. Peel potatoes, and cut into 1/8” slices. Arrange 1/3 of the potatoes in the prepared dish, overlapping slightly. Top potatoes with half of the mushroom mixture. Sprinkle 1/3 of the cheese over mushrooms. Repeat layering 1/3 of the potatoes, remaining mushroom mixture, and 1/3 of the cheese. Arrange remaining potatoes atop cheese.
4. Whisk ½ and ½, cream, 1¼ tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper in a large bowl to blend. Pour mixture over potatoes. Cover loosely with foil. 5. Place baking dish on middle rack in oven, and a baking sheet on the bottom rack. Bake until potatoes are tender and liquid thickens, about 1¼ hours. Uncover. Using metal spatula, press potatoes to submerge. Sprinkle remaining cheese over potatoes. Bake until cheese melts and gratin is golden at edges, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes.
~ from: www.allrecipes.com