Week 10 Newsletter

Athens Hills CSA
A record eight cases of tomatoes are being delivered for canning this week. Good Work People! There is nothing like opening canned tomatoes on a cold winter day to bring the memories of the sunny bright summer. And the flavor of your love comes shining through too! You may have noticed that there hasn’t been basil in the shares recently. (And maybe that’s okay for some…) The reason is that the powdery mildew returned this season. This disease was first identified in Europe and came to the USA in seeds planted in Florida. It came to Ohio for the first time last season and destroyed the basil crop. The same has happened this year so the basil is gone early this year too. The work force for the fall has begun to change with John heading off to teach school during the week, but coming back to the farm on Saturdays; Bethany has moved into his position, and a new intern, Corey, joins us in Bethany’s spot. More changes will take place in the next few weeks, and we’ll let you know about those as they happen. In the meantime, the crew is busy with the regular routines of weeding, watering, harvesting, and packing. To that we are adding field preparations for fall transplants of greens and seeding roots like beets and turnips. Soon, Dan will be mixing another batch of potting soil for the seeds that will become the transplants for winter greenhouse greens.. In the last few weeks, we have received several calls about the Open Farm Day that we had to cancel. Currently, we have no plans for an event in the fall. But as members in the CSA, all you have to do is call and let us know when you want to visit. We will give you a tour of your veggies and explain all of the different systems we have in place. Just remember to call first to make sure that someone will be here to show you around and explain things. If you’re looking for a great little weekend, visit the nationally-acclaimed Athens Farmers Market on Saturday (10am-1pm year round); to the farm for tours; enjoy one of the many locally-owned restaurants, visit Shade Winery; and stay in one of the many B & B’s scattered throughout these beautiful rolling hills. Enjoy your week!
From all of us at Green Edge,
Becky (Kip, Dan, John, Maria, Kurt, Rob, Marie, Penny, Guinevere, Diedra, Bethany, Alicia, and Corey)

THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES
Sunflower Microgreens - If you’re not familiar with microgreens, 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.
Beets - Their roots are soooo delicious  sweet and the leaves are vitamin-packed and wonderful sautéed as you might do with any of our greens—a little butter or olive oil and some garlic and onion helps to makes this veggie into a great side dish.
Mushrooms - This week you receive either oyster or shiitake.
Swiss Chard - This green is the summer stand-by. Verstaile, mild, and nutritious with a low glycemic load although a little high in sodium. Stir-fry or sauté are just a few of its uses.
Sweet Peppers – We grow a variety of sweet peppers, and your shares will reflect that variety. For the names of each, just refer to the blog where they are labeled with a picture… One hot pepper is included in the bag of tomatoes.
Slicer Tomatoes - Round and red are these hybrid beauties. They are easier to transport, and store than their fragile heirlooms cousins. They are firm enough for chunking into salads or slicing for the ultimate sandwich.
Cherry Tomatoes – we grow both Sweet 100 (red) and Sungold (orange tomato candy). We usually mix them, and hope you enjoy them that way.
Summer Squash – There is about 1 lb. in the bag this week. The squash plants are slowing down, so there might not be squash-a-plenty much longer. We grow several varieties. Look on the blog for pictures of each with the name.

The Combo Corner
The fruit selections from Cherry Orchard this week include the first of the Bartlett pears (best eaten when golden), yellow juicy peaches, and the last of the blackberries. The share is topped with a cluster of blue seedless grapes.
This week’s bread from The Village Bakery and Café is the Harvest Wheat. This variety also has some cornmeal besides the flour.
This week’s Cheese Share from Integration Acres is Smokey Goat.

PICKUP CONTACT NUMBERS & HOURS
NEW ALBANY – 614-216-9370 12-8pm
TIBET – 614-784-8124 11am-6pm
BEXLEY MARKET-614-252-3951 3-8pm
UPPER ARLINGTON- 614-506-3086 4-8pm
CLINTONVILLE COOP – 614-261-3663 11 am-8 pm
PLATES STUDIO –DUBLIN - 614-336-9502 4-8 pm
HYACINTH BEAN – 740-594-9302 12-6pm
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!

There are still canning tomatoes available for next week’s delivery. But this may be the last one as the plants are slowing their production. Let Becky know by next Monday, the 29th if you are interested in a delivery for the 31st.
Thanks!

And keep returning those green bags. They make our world go round and round!


Recipes
Several weeks ago, a member from Upper Arlington sent a link from the NY Times – a recipe for squash (We can all use more of those!) I finally remembered to include it in the newsletter. So, here it is:
GREEK BAKED SQUASH OMELET
2 Tbls. extra virgin olive oil 1 leek all parts, cleaned and chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced ¾ lb. squash, cut into ¼ - 1/3-inch dice Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste ¼ cup chopped fresh dill 2 Tbls. chopped fresh mint 8 Eggs ½ cup drained yogurt or thick Greek-style yo gurt ¼ cup freshly grated parme- san cheese
1. Preheat the oven to 350o.
2. Heat 1Tbl of the oil over me-dium heat in a large, heavy skil-let. Add the leek and cook, stir-ring, until tender, about three minutes. Add the garlic, stir together until fragrant, about 30 seconds, and add the squash. Cook, stirring until tender, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the dill and the mint. Remove from the heat.
3. Place the remaining tbls of oil in a 2-quart casserole or in a 9” cast iron skillet, brush the side of the pan with the oil and place in the oven. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, Whisk in the yogurt and the parmesan. Stir in the squash mixture.
4. Remove the baking dish from the oven and scrape in the egg ixture. Place in the oven, and bake 30 minutes or until puffed and lightly colored. Allow to cool for at lest 10 minutes be-fore serving. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Thanks Stephen – It sounds delicious! - br

Swiss Chard Omelet
“Alain Allegretti, chef of the Allegretti restaurant, was on the Martha Stewart show to teach us how to make a delicious swiss chard omelet or trouchia recipe. What was so exciting about this recipe is that it is actually a healthy version of an omelet because the use of so much swiss chard means that there are less eggs in the omelet. I may just try this recipe with egg beaters too, since I’m trying to be very healthy these days. Alain Allegretti’s Recipe for Trouchia or Swiss Chard Omelet”
Ingredients:
- 8 Eggs
- 8 cups Swiss Chard Leaves, thinly sliced
- 1 1/3 cups Parmesan Cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tsp coarse salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- black pepper
Directions:
1. In the largest bowl that you have, whisk eight eggs (or I will be trying egg beaters).
2. Mix in your thinly sliced swiss chard, parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt and peppers.
3. Combine well.
4. Warm a 10″ nonstick skillet to medium heat, and add a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
5. Add your mixture to the skillet. Cover the skillet and reduce the heat to low.
6. After around 10-12 minutes, flip the skillet over with the lid still on top. This is such a great Martha Moment tip on how to flip an omelet!!! When you flip the skillet over with the lid still on top, then the omelet is lying on the lid, and you can just slide the omelet back into the pan without it breaking… now I won’t have problems flipping omelets!!!
7. Cook the next side for a few minutes.
8. The best way to plate this is to cut two small triangles, and kind of overlay the tips of the triangles on the plate to add some height. ~from marthamoments.com

Swiss Chard with Beets, Goat Cheese, and Raisins
1 1/2 pounds red beets (about 3 large)
4 pounds Swiss chard
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large red onion, halved lengthwise, cut thinly crosswise
3/4 cup sliced green onions (about 3)
5 garlic cloves, chopped
2 jalapeño chiles, thinly sliced crosswise with seeds
3 14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice, drained
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons golden raisins
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 51/2-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons pine nuts
Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap beets individually in foil. Roast until beets are tender, about 1 hour. Cool. Peel beets, then cut into 1/2-inch cubes. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover; chill.) Fold Swiss chard leaves in half lengthwise and cut stalks away from leaves. Cut leaves coarsely into 1-inch pieces. Slice stalks thinly crosswise. Reserve stalks and leaves separately. Cook chopped leaves in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 1 minute. Drain and reserve. Heat oil in heavy large pot over high heat. Add sliced stalks; sauté until starting to soften, about 8 minutes.
Add onion and next 3 ingredients; sauté 3 minutes. Add drained tomatoes and 1 cup raisins. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
Add chard leaves to pot; stir to heat through. Remove from heat; add lime juice and stir to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer chard mixture to large platter. Sprinkle with beets, goat cheese, pine nuts, and remaining 2 tablespoons raisins. Serve warm or at room temperature.
from epricuriouse.com

Crispy Grits with Sweet-and-Sour Beets and Mushrooms
3 large golden or red beets (1 1/4 pounds)
1 ½ cups extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing
1 ½ cups stone-ground white grits
3 cups milk
3 cups water
Salt 6 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large egg yolk
Freshly ground pepper
½ pound mushrooms, trimmed and thickly sliced
1 thyme sprig
2 tablespoons dry white wine
3 large shallots, thinly sliced ¼ cup white wine vinegar
 tablespoon sugar
¼ cup snipped chives
1 cup rice flour 1
 cup baby greens, for garnish
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Line a 9-inch square baking dish with plastic wrap. (This is to form the grits.)
Rub the beets lightly with olive oil and wrap individually in foil.
Bake the beets for about 1 hour, or until tender when pierced with a fork. Let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, in a medium enameled cast-iron casserole or Dutch oven, whisk the grits with the milk, water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking constantly. Cover the grits and bake in the oven for about 50 minutes, stirring 3 or 4 times.
The grits are done when they're tender and the liquid has been absorbed.
Whisk 6 tablespoons of the butter and the egg yolk into the grits. Season with pepper.
Spoon the grits into the prepared baking dish and press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
Peel the roasted beets and cut them into 1-inch pieces.
Transfer the beet pieces to a large bowl. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until shimmering.
Add the mushrooms and thyme sprig and season with salt and pepper.
Cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are lightly browned, about 8 minutes.
Add the wine and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter and cook, stirring, until evaporated, about 1 minute.
Add the mushrooms to the beets.
Discard the thyme sprig.
Wipe out the skillet. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and heat un-til shimmering.
Add the shallots and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened.
Add the vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt and cook until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.
Stir in 1/4 cup of the olive oil and add to the beets and mu-shrooms.
Stir in the chives and season with salt and pepper.
Spread the rice flour on a plate.
Turn the grits out onto a work surface; discard the plastic.
Cut the grits in half, then cut each half into eight narrow 4 1/2-inch-long rec-tangles. Dust the grits with rice flour.
Divide the remaining 1 cup plus 1 table-spoon of olive oil between 2 large nonstick skillets and heat until shimmering.
Add the grit cakes and fry over moderately high heat until golden and crisp all over, about 8 minutes total.
Drain on paper towels and season lightly with salt. Transfer the cakes to a platter and top with the sweet-and-sour beets and mushrooms. Garnish with the baby greens and serve.
from FoodAndWine.com