Week 18 Newsletter

Week #18 April 13, 2011


  As is pretty typical for spring, I’m sure I just wrote the last newsletter yesterday – at least that’s how it seems! The Starts House is full of your food for the summer, and we’ll be adding more there as the flats germinate and can be moved to the cooler environment. The Starts House is heated, but not as warm as is needed to germinate the heat-loving summer crops. This week we are pleased to have our new delivery helper and market assistant for Columbus. We are excited to have this additional helper for Kip without the expense of paying the helper to ride in the truck for 4 hours.
   This Monday we received word from the Upper Arlington market that we have been accepted again for this season. Their market starts in mid-May. More details will be given to you when I get them. But that market is a place to get these wonderfully fresh and tasty veggies during the off-weeks of the CSA. Speaking of the off-weeks, spring break seems to have con-fused some members. To remind all, the last day of deliveries is April 27th - including today, that’s 3 more.
   Work on the equipment shed has come to a temporary halt as we await the arrival of the trusses. After they are delivered (with the tin for the roof) this project will soon be finished, and we can move to the next. Other scheduled tasks for the week will in-clude some greenhouse soil maintenance as we prepare the soil for the tomatoes. Field work, though, seems delayed due to the excessive rain we have had. Hope-fully, before I write another newsletter, the west field will have been ‘disked’ to knock down and incorporate the cover crop of winter rye.
   On Saturday, Kip and Becky are traveling to Marietta (after the market is over) to give a presentation about Green Edge Organic Gardens, a discussion of how and why we do this. Of course the biggest part of the ‘how’ doesn’t involve the two most important factors, namely, one - you, our beloved members and customers, and two - our equally beloved employees who make this possible by their efforts - every day. We are so grateful to you both! Thanks.
  From all of us at Green Edge,
Becky (Kip, Dan, John, Maria, Rob, Penny, Guinevere, Bethany, and Deidre

THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES

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 minerals.
Mushrooms - Shiitake. It’s a good thing they’re so good. If you can’t use them all in one week, they should store fine in their paper bag to be combined for a really big mushroom extravaganza next week!
Sunflower Microgreens - 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.
Swiss Chard-( 2 bunches this week) We are glad to still have this favorite. The mild flavor of chard makes it the all around choice for most customers. It’s the only green that grows well in winter and summer.
Kale - One of our all-time favorites. We love it raw, massaged, steamed, in soup, etc., etc. ,etc.
FRENCH BREAKFAST RADISHES - The first of the season radishes are so special for their tender crisp crunchy juiciness. Enjoy these on salads, bread and butter, with a dip, in a stir-fry, or just by themselves, maybe a pinch of salt.
Carrots - Many of you have written to say that you agree about the flavor of these sweet things. And thanks for that. What a special flavor and treat on a gloomy winter day.
Spinach - Another week of spinach and our blood is happy for it! Use it raw in salad (we do) or steamed lightly as a side dish. Some folks like relish as a condiment, some like vinegar. No matter you taste, the nutritional value is awesome!

The Combo Corner

The apple selections from Cherry Orchard are finished for the Winter 2011 cycle.
This week’s bread from The Village Bakery and Café is Honey Oat Wheat.

Recipes
FREEZING SWISS CHARD ~from eHow.com

Things you’ll need: Swiss Chard; cutting knife; quart-sized freezer bags; cooking pot; water; ice water
1. If you’re planning on using it in the next 2-3 weeks, simply cut it and place it in the quart-size freezer bag. It will still have a food flavor and texture for a few weeks.
2. You can freeze Swiss Chard for up to a yeatr with the following steps: Rinse the Chard and check each leaf thoroughly for dirt in the grooves of the leaves.
3. Fill a pan with enough water to cover the Chard. Bring the water to a rolling (hard) boil. While the water is boiling, cut off the stems and set aside for another use (They don’t freeze well.) Cut the leaves into pieces, whatever size you prefer.
4. Once the water has reached a hard boil, place the chard in the water and boil for 2 minutes. Next, drain the chard and place it in ice water until cooled down (this process is called ‘blanching’.)
5. Remove as much water as possible from the chard and place the chard into quart freezer bags and seal the bags. Lay the bags flat until frozen. The Swiss chard is now ready to enjoy when needed.
Read more: How to Freeze Your Garden Swiss Chard
http://www.ehow.com/how_5050837_freeze-garden-swiss-chard.html#ixzz1JKj1mGDW
This is the method used to blanch and freeze all greens that you receive except salad mix.

Beans-and-Greens Tacos with Goat Cheese ~from Martha Stewart Living, May 2011

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 red onions, sliced in ¼-inch-thick rounds
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 lb. Swiss chard, stems and ribs removed, leaves washed well and coarsely chopped
1 cup canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup vegetable or chicken stock
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
8 white-corn tortillas
1/3 cup soft goat cheese, crumbled (2 ounces)
8 cilantro sprigs
1. Heat oil on a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Cook onions until soft, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in chard, beans, and stock, Cook until greens are wilted and beans are warmed through, about 4 minutes. Season with ¾ teaspoon salt and some pepper.
2. Using tongs, hold each tortilla directly over a gas flame, turning, until heated through, about 5 seconds. (Alternatively, wrap tortillas in foil, and warm in a 350 oven.) Spoon filling onto tortillas, Top with cheese and cilantro.
 
CARROT SOUFFLE ~from allrecipes.com~

1 lb. carrots, coarsely chopped
½ cup margarine (butter will work)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup white sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350 F . Lightly grease a 2-qt. casserole.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Add carrots and cook until tender, 15-20 mins. Drain and mash.
Stir in butter, vanilla extract, sugar, and eggs; mix well.
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar; stir into carrot mixture and blend until smooth.
Transfer to prepared casserole dish. 3. Bake for 45 minutes.

Garlicky Greens Recipe (repeated from earlier newsletter)

If you are using spinach, ignore the stem instructions below. With spinach, I simply trim any long stems. Also, feel free to make this vegan and/or dairy-free by leaving out the Parmesan cheese. Toasted almonds or pine nuts are a great substitution (or addition).
1 large bunch of kale, chard, or spinach
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
fine grain sea salt
5 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (opt)
crushed red pepper flakes
To de-stem each leaf of chard/kale, grab the main stalk in one hand and strip the leaf from the stem all the way up with the other. I then tear the big leaves into bite-sized pieces, but you can use a knife for this task if you prefer. Wash the greens in a big bowl (or sink) full of clean water, rinsing and swishing to rinse away any stubborn grit and dirt. Drain, rinse again, and set aside.

Hold off cooking the greens until just before eating. Then, in a large skillet heat the olive oil. Add a couple big pinches of salt and the greens. They should hiss and spit a bit when they hit the pan. Stir continuously until their color gets bright green, and they just barely start to collapse - two, three, maybe four minutes, depending on how hot your pan is and how much structure your greens have. Then, just thirty seconds before you anticipate pulling the skillet off of the heat, stir in the garlic. Sauté a bit, remove the pan from the heat, stir in the Parmesan, and add a big pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. Taste, add a bit of salt if needed, and serve immediately if not sooner.
Serves 2- 3.
from 101 Cookbooks