Week 1 Newsletter

June 22, 2011

Greetings! How wonderful to be back with the goodness of the harvest! The spring you will recall was unusually cold and rainy. This caused hardship and delay throughout the Midwest’s farming communities. And indeed this same weather pattern caused us to delay the start of this Summer 2011 CSA season by a week. Far- thinking and foresight on Dan’s part saw us give up several rows in the green-houses destined for heirloom tomatoes to cucumber, squash, and pepper plants. This is the only reason that you have any of those this week. So good work Dan! But that’s history and water under the bridge – and we are anticipating much bounty now that summer days and heat have arrived. You will have by now noticed that Rob is no longer the coordinator of the CSA. In his place we welcome Marie. Rob has been working with her for the past several weeks to provide a seamless transition. If you haven’t noticed, it just means that his training was as exceptional as all of the work he does. He is still with us in his capacity as mushroom grower until the fall when he begins his graduate school studies full-time. Maria, one of last year’s awesome interns stayed with us through the winter and is with us still. Cale has left to work on his own farm. In his place, we welcome Kurt whose long-time involvement with farming includes internships on many varied types of operations. Instead of Kurt going to Columbus with Kip every week like Cale, we have hired Laurel who joins Kip on the truck in Columbus for the CSA and restaurant deliveries, and who will also work at the Upper Arlington Farmers Market when we finally have enough product to sell after the CSA commitments. John will be with us full-time through the summer. Then, this fall he starts teaching art part-time in at a local elementary school and work-ing part-time with us. One more change of note: The Open Farm Day which was scheduled for July 17th has been postponed a week to July 24th. We will continue to remind you of this. The format of the event will change also. These changes are discussed in the sidebar.
From all of us at Green Edge,
Becky (Kip, Dan, John, Maria, Kurt, Rob, Marie, Penny, Guinevere, Diedra, Bethany, and Janell


THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES
Salad Mix – Salad Mix this week contains 7 varieties of lettuce. To maintain its freshness, keep it re-frigerated and in an air-tight container. (The bag it comes in works great.)

Mushrooms - The mushrooms this week are shiitake. Their flavor and texture are distinctive. Use the caps in soups, stir-frys, grilling shish-kabobs, and much more. Get even more value by simmering the stems in salted water for about 1 ½ hours, straining the broth for later use by freezing, and then chopping the stems to add to a savory dish.

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 impart the nutritional additions from the soil. These have a mild, almost nutty flavor and are juicy and crunchy.

Cilantro - Like arugula, this is a ‘love it or hate it” flavor. It’s hard to think of salsa without this ingredient. But, I also like to use it in sauces and fresh in a salad.

Basil – We know it’s summer when we have basil! From herb dressings to pesto, fish to tofu, basil makes it better. Remember to store basil in a glass of water on the counter. DO NOT REFRIGERATE BASIL! Black spots on basil are usually from too much cold.

Zucchini/Cucumber – This week our selection is small, so you have received either zucchini or cucumber.


The Combo Corner
The fruit selections from Cherry Orchard will start in July.
This week’s bread from The Village Bakery and Café is the French Galette, a roundish, crusty loaf.
This week’s Cheese Share from Integration Acres is Fresh Goat Feta in brine.
The milk share is not usually mentioned here since each member orders the type of milk wanted.


Open Farm Day
July 24, 2011 1-4 pm
Join us at the farm for tours, hayrides, and more!  meet your farmers and get to knwo your vegetables at a personal levell.  Light refreshments, beverages provided.
 
PICKUP CONTACT NUMBERS & HOURS
NEW ALBANY – 614-216-9370 12-8pm
TIBET – 614-784-8124 Noon-6pm
BEXLEY MARKET-614-252-3951 3-8pm
UPPER ARLINGTON- 614-506-3086 4-8pm
CLINTONVILLE COOP – 614-261-3663 2-8 pm
PLATES STUDIO –DUBLIN - 614-336-9502 4-8 pm
HYACINTH BEAN – 740-594-9302 1-6pm
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!

Just today, I received the link to a recently produced video by the Central Appalachian Network.  It features Green Edge Gardens in the 1^st episode.  So here is the link, if you are interested in seeing and hearing a little more about us: http://www.vimeo.com/25415343  It’s so new that even the farm crew hasn’t seen it yet….                 

RECIPES


TZATZIKI
Greek Yogurt Dressing for Gyros
1 (8 ounce) container plain yogurt 1 cu-cumbers - peeled, seeded and diced 1 tablespoons olive oil ¼ lemon, juiced salt and pepper to taste ½ tablespoon chopped fresh dill 1-2 cloves garlic, peeled.
In a food processor or blender, combine yogurt, cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, dill and garlic. Process until well-combined. Transfer to a separate dish, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour for best flavor. 

RAITA
Indian Yogurt for Falafel
1 hot house cucumber - peeled, seeded and thinly sliced 1 cups Greek yogurt 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoons chopped fresh mint ¼ teaspoon white sugar 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Stir together the cucumber, yogurt, lemon juice, mint, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.


Basil Pesto
In a food processor bowl combine:
1-2 cloves garlic (to taste) ¼ C. raw sunflower seeds ¼ C. olive oil Process until smooth. Add 1/3 of the basil leaves and process until smooth. Add either ¼ C. parmesan or (for non-dairy) ¼ C. nutritional yeast and another 1/3 of the basil leaves and process. Add the rest of the basil leaves and process. You can also add more oil if necessary, to make the pesto more liquid or smooth.
You can use walnuts, cashews, or the more tradi-tional pine nuts instead of the sunflower seeds also.


CILANTRO POTATOES
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
In a large skillet, cook cilantro and garlic in oil over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the potatoes; cook and stir for 20-25 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Drain. Sprinkle with salt.


Amy’s Creamy Cilantro Sauce
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• 1 (7 ounce) can tomatillo salsa
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Combine cream cheese, sour cream, salsa, pepper, celery salt, cumin, garlic powder, cilantro and lime juice in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Place in a serving bowl.


Cilantro Pesto Recipe
2 cups, packed, of cilantro, large stems removed ½ cup blanched almonds ¼ cup chopped red onion ½ teaspoon chopped and seeded serrano chile ½ teaspoon Kosher salt ¼ cup olive oil
In a food processor, pulse the cilantro, almonds, onion, chile, and salt until well blended. With the food processor running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream.
Add more oil as needed for your use.
Makes about 1 cup.
Whatever you don't use, you can freeze. Line an ice cube tray with plastic wrap and fill in the individual cube spaces with the pesto. Freeze and remove from the ice tray, put in a sealed freezer bag for future use.