There are advantages to living between the township garage and the main road. The biggest one is that the road to the farm is the 1st one plowed and treated after a snowfall. Today was no exception. Yesterday, we kept the driveways cleared of snow as best we could, so that the truck could get to the road that was so nicely plowed and treated. It’s good that the scenery is so beautiful after a snow, because the trade-off is lots of extra work!
As mentioned last week, the summer sign-up information is finished. Look for an email with “You Have a Reservation” to view this summer’s information. Because you are signed up now, you and the other folks from last summer get the 1st opportunity to put your name on the list. You don’t have to pay everything now, but we will need a deposit to hold your spot. Just let us know.
Kip has been busy developing the plans for a new equipment shed so that all of the implements (disk, rotovator, tractor, etc.) can all be housed in one spot under a roof. This is a project that has needed to happen for many years, and we are thrilled it’s time has finally arrived. Dan has been busy putting the finishing touches on a newly formatted “Crop Log”. With this information, we can quickly access lots of different information by crop variety. We track things like the time it takes from seed to harvest, the yields of different varieties of the same veggie, spacing vs. yield, diseases (if any), treatments (if used), comparisons from previous years, and on, and on. We hope to be able to use this to improve (constantly) what we do and how we do it. Better for you, and better for us.
We met with the webmaster Tuesday morning to review new updates to the website. She should have things pretty well in place in just a couple of days. Many thanks to Rob who spearheaded this little side project. Take a look and tell us what you think. Just a reminder to share your favorite recipes with us. We are always ex-cited when you send us new ways for using these wonder-ful foods.
From all of us at Green Edge,
Becky (Kip, Dan, John, , Rob, Cale, Julia, Penny, Guinevere, and Morgan
THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES
Sweet Potatoes - These beauties are packed with Vit. A & C, and dietary fiber. Sweet potatoes are strongly anti-inflammatory.
Mushrooms - Shiitake mushrooms are in the share this week. We hope you enjoy them. Don’t forget about creating a wonderful mushroom broth by simmering the stems in salted wa-ter for about 1 ½ hours.
Salad Mix – In the mix this week are 5 varieties of lettuce, mizuna, and pe-tsai. The last two are mild Asian greens. This mix is best stored in an air-tight container with some paper towel or cloth to absorb any extra drops of water that can form.
Kale - Some recipes are in last week’s newsletter, but there is one more on page 2. It is also a tremendous source of Vitamins A & K.
Tatsoi - This mild Asian green has returned through January. After that, the increased day length causes it to bolt. Enjoy!
Beets - These ‘Red Ace’ beets are typically uniform in size, sweet and tender. We hope you love them! High in vitamins and minerals. Notes on page 2 for peeling or ‘slipping the skins.’
Arugula - This versatile green can be used raw in salads or steamed. Its peppery flavor will delight or disgust. These greens are also very balanced with vitamins and min-erals.
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.
Nutritional information is found at www.nutritiondata.com
The Combo Corner
The apple selections from Cherry Orchard are Stayman and Yellow (Golden) Delicious.
This week’s bread from The Village Bakery and Café is Italian Whole Wheat.
Our first intern candidates arrived today. They braved a drive from northwest Michigan to visit.
If you also know of someone who might be interested in one of these positions, please have them contact us at: info@greenedgegardens.com
This is a little tip repeated from last week’s newsletter: Still-Tasty.com has some useful and interesting information about kale.
Refrigerate kale in a plastic bag; do not wash until ready to use.
Freezing kale can mean it will store up to 10 months. Wash the kale and remove the stems. Blanch (plunge into boiling water) for two minutes and chill quickly in ice water. Drain off excess moisture, package in airtight containers or freezer bags and freeze immediately.
RECIPES
KALE PESTO
3 cups kale, cut into strips
1 ½ cups pine nuts (sunnies can be substituted)
4 cloves garlic
1 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Cut the kale in strips. Peel the garlic cloves. Put ½ of the kale, pine nuts, garlic, and oil into the food processor. Blend until coarsely ground. Add the rest of the ingredients including salt and pepper. Blend into a smooth paste. You may need to add a little more oil or pine nuts to achieve the consis- tency that you prefer.
Dandelion Greens* with Double Garlic
(from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman)
*substitute any of the greens you receive
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup thinly sliced garlic cloves (5-6 cloves), plus 1 tsp minced garlic or more to taste
½ tsp hot red pepper flakes or more to taste
salt/freshly ground pepper
1 pound dandelion greens* w/ stems, washed and roughly chopped (remove ribs)
½ cup chicken/beef/vegetable stock
lemon wedges for serving (optional)
1) put olive oil in large, deep saucepan w/ lid over medium heat, when hot add sliced garlic, red pepper flakes, some salt/pepper and cook about 1 minute
2) add greens and stock, cover and cook until greens are wilted and just tender but still a little firm, about 5 minutes
3) uncover pan, continue to cook, stirring until liquid has all but evaporated and greens are quite tender, at least 5 minutes more; taste for sea-soning add red/black pepper and salt as needed, add minced garlic, cook for 1 minute more and serve hot or at room temp w/ lemon wedges if desired.
Thanks to member Ashley B. for sharing this versatile recipe. It works for all of the greens you get!
Arugula Salad5 ounces arugula
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon peel, grated
Toss arugula with olive oil, lemon juice, and peel. Toss to coat.
from epicurious.com
Arugula Pesto ~foodnet-work.com
4 cups packed fresh arugula
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup pure olive oil
2 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted, plus 1 table-spoon
1/8 teaspoon vitamin C (optional)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Prepare an ice water bath in a large bowl, and bring a large pot of water to a boil. Put the arugula in a large sieve and plunge it into the boiling water. Immediately immerse all the arugula and stir so that it blanches evenly. Blanch for about 15 seconds. Remove, shake off the excess water, then plunge the arugula into the ice water bath, and stir again so it cools as fast as possible. Drain well.
Squeeze the water out of the arugula with your hands until very dry. Roughly chop the arugula and put in a blender. Add the garlic, salt and pepper to taste, olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the pine nuts, and the vitamin C, if using. Blend for at least 30 seconds. In this way, the green of the arugula will thoroughly color the oil. Add the cheese and pulse to combine. The pesto will keep several days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
Pull out before dinner to get to room temperature. Before serving, add the remaining 1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts.
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