Week #9         February 9, 2011

        First things first!  A huge and boisterous Thank You to the amazing crew that works for you and the farm.  Without their willingness to do more and their encouragement, leaving for 10 days would have been unthinkable.  And even though, we are rested and tan, I can truly say we are very happy to be home.  A diet without fresh veggies is not one that our bodies were willing to adjust to for an extended time.                                              

While we were away, Dan was diligently putting together our newest set of statistics that will tell us the cost, including the labors of planting, tending, harvesting, and packing each variety of vegetable we grow.  This is a time-consuming task requiring a whole season of compiling figures for each crop.  It’s not something that we always do, but is necessary now and again to ensure a fair price for all.                                                 

Try as we might to give our members all of the information for every season at the beginning, we do sometimes miss an item or two.  The missed piece of information this cycle is to let folks know about those times that start out with “…in the event of a snow emergency”.  Cale and Rob did a sensational job delivering last week with less than favorable conditions.  You should always expect us to make the delivery to the host sites UNLESS WE CONTACT YOU to say we can’t make it.  So should bad weather strike again on our delivery day, assume the delivery is made unless you hear from us saying that we couldn’t do it.         

At market last Saturday, Dan heard from several customers about the article in the month’s issue of Our Ohio magazine, a publication of the Ohio Farm Bureau.  They contacted us last year with the idea of showing the way we grow healthy fresh greens in winter.  The article with lots of pictures was published this month.  I have included the live link to the article:  Green and Growing Through the Winter  We are especially honored and humbled to be recognized for this work that provides your fresh, local veggies throughout the cold of winter and spring.  We hope you will find some pleasure, maybe even pride knowing that you already knew, and are already a part of this. 

From all of us at Green Edge,

Becky  (Kip, Dan, John, , Rob, Cale, Julia, Penny, Guinevere & Morgan

THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES

Sweet Potatoes -  I’ve included Rob’s recipe for sweet potato biscuits from last week, and added another.

Salad Mix – In the mix this week are 7 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.

Swiss Chard. -  Our best selling green at market due to its mild flavor – not too strong for anyone plus unlike other greens,  it grows in the heat of summer.

Mushrooms  -  Shiitakes are included this week.

Sunflower Microgreens  -  We hope you enjoyed the microgreens mix the last few weeks, but now it's back to the old favorite--Sunflower Microgreens!  Believe it or not, they are delicious on eggs!

Pak Choy - Another of our mild Asian greens, this variety is called Vitamin Green, which tells you what it does for your body!  Can be eaten raw, steamed, sautéed, or stir-fried.  The stalks hold water, so they are a refreshing snack raw.  They can be cooked too, and will take slightly longer than the leaves.

Beets - The last of the beets for this season are in the shares today.  We were much happier this year with the yield in general,  but we’ll probably be planting more next summer!

Carrots -  These carrots are so sweet and good.  It’s almost like eating sunshine!

The Combo Corner

The apple selection from Cherry Orchard this week features three of his best storing apples:  Red Delicious, Yellow Delicious, and Fuji.                                               

This week’s bread from The Village Bakery and Café is Ukrainian Rye.

Pac Choi Stir-Fry 

from  PetesGreens.com/recipes           

2 Tbl. vegetable oil                   

2 cloves garlic, chopped           

2 scallions, chopped white and green parts                   

1  head of Pac Choi, stalks and leaves chopped into bite-sized pieces    

1 large carrot, peeled and julienned                       

1 red bell pepper, julienned     

 1 (2 inch) piece of peeled,  fresh ginger                  

1 Tbl soy sauce                       

1 Tbl brown sugar                   

½ Tbl rice vinegar                      

1 tsp red pepper flakes        

 salt and  pepper to taste          

 1 tsp sesame oil                       

1 Tbl sesame seeds            

  In a large sauce pan, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat until hot.  Toss in onion and garlic, stirring with a wooden spoon or tongs, for 2 minutes.  Do not let then burn.  Add the vegetables, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper and stir for another minute until the vegetables are slightly wilted.  Sprinkle on the sesame oil and sesame seeds and serve offer hot, steamed rice.

(Serves 2 or 3.)

Variations:  Try adding protein like beef, fish or tofu before adding the vegetables.  Even a couple of beaten eggs will do nicely in a dish like this.  Cashews or peanuts are tasty when tossed in after cooking, and you can always vary the sauce with something store bought like a jarred plum sauce or Thai-style peanut sauce.                                 

This sounds simple and quick to prepare while delivering a savory flavor.  I’m sure it would also work with chicken (cook it thoroughly) or even venison.

         

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen

• 1 ¼  cups all-purpose flour
• 2 heaping tablespoons sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• ½  teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes
• ¼  cup ( ½ stick) softened butter
• 2 to 4 tablespoons milk (depending on the moisture of the potatoes)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

In a separate, large bowl, mix the sweet potatoes and butter. Add the flour mixture to the potato mixture and mix to make a soft dough. Then add milk a tablespoon at a time to mixture and continue to cut in.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board and toss lightly until the outside of the dough looks smooth.  Roll the dough out to ½ -inch thick and cut with a biscuit cutter.

Place the biscuits on a greased pan and coat tops with melted butter. Bake for about 15 minutes. (Watch your oven: If the biscuits are browning too fast, lower the temperature.)

 

SWEET  POTATO AND BEET CHIPS w/ Garlic Rosemary Salt        

Courtesy of  FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes                                                

2 beets                                                             

1 clove garlic, minced                                      

1 teaspoom very finely minced,   fresh rosemary leaves                                   

2 tablespoons salt                                  

 10 cups vegetable oil

Directions:

Special Equipment: V-slicer or mandolin to slice veggies very thin, 

deep-fry thermometer

~Wash the vegetables and dry very well.      Set aside.                                             

~In a small bowl, combine the garlic,  rosemary, and salt.  Set aside.              

~Warm the oil in a large pot over high heat to 350 degrees F.                      

~Meanwhile, trim 1-inch off the end of each sweet potato. Using the slicer or mandolin, slice the sweet potatoes into very thin slices about 1/8-inch thick.  Trim 1 inch off the root end of the       beets.  Using the slicer or mandolin, slice the beets into very thin slices, about 1.8- inch thick. 

~ When the oil is hot add about ¼ of the sweet potato slices.  Let fry until golden and the bubbling has almost completely subsided, about 2-3 mins.  Using a mesh sieve or slotted spoon, remove the chips to a paper towel-lined sheet.   

~Sprnkle with the herbed salt mixture.  

 ~Continue with remaining potatoes.                   

~Transfer to a serving plate.              

 ~Next, fry ¼ of the beets.  Let fry until curled at the edges and most of the bubbling has sub-sided, about 3-4 minutes.                         

~Transfer the beets to another paper  towel-lined sheet and sprinkle with the salt mixture.          ~Continue with the remaining beets.  ~Let cool and transfer to a serving plate. 

I think I will try this spraying a single layer with oil, then baking, and sprinkling with the slat mixture…I’ll let you know.