Week 11 Newsletter

Athens Hills CSA
With Labor Day just around the corner, activities here at the farm have kicked into high gear. Rob and Marie have begun training the new CSA coordinator. Liz replaces Marie, who is moving. Liz has just returned from Vermont where she was working for the Green Mountain Farm to School program. Great timing since we are participating in a Farm-to-School grant for one of the elementary schools in Athens this school year. Rob is also training Cale who has returned to become our new mushroom grower. We are relieved to have both of these positions filled with such great people! And not a moment too soon… We try to help gather statistics for research projects when we can. This week I am including a link to a survey by Joseph Vaillancourt, a graduate teaching assistant in Agricultural Communications from OSU: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/osucsastudy Joseph will be sharing the results from this study on CSA’s with us and other CSA’s who are participating. We’ll share them with you when we receive them. Thanks for taking some time to answer these questions. Farm work continues with more of the same – weeding, planting, transplanting, harvesting, and packing. An amazing discovery was made through on-farm experimentation. The basil disease that came through a few weeks ago has been eliminated. We are monitoring the crop, but it appears that by closing the greenhouse where it is growing, the temperature is raised high enough to kill the fungus without harming the basil. This is welcome news since there in no spray that will kill it. Calls and emails from folks interested in the Winter 2012 cycle continue to come in daily. Monday’s staff meeting concluded that we will expand the shares available for this winter season. That decision means building another greenhouse bringing the total in production to 9. Watch for pictures of this new project on the blog. Several folks have called about coming for a tour. Just give a call ahead to be sure someone will be here to show you around and answer your questions.
From all of us at Green Edge,
Becky (Kip, Dan, Kurt, Maria, John, Rob, Cale, Marie, Penny, Guinevere, Diedra, Bethany, Alicia, Corey, and Liz

This Week's Veggies
Salad Mix – In the mix this week are 7 varieties of lettuce. We are so excited to have this back for your enjoyment!
Mushrooms - Shiitakes are available for all this week. Don’t forget you can simmer those stems in salted water for a rich broth. Freeze the broth for a rich soup this fall.
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 im-part 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.
Swiss Chard - This green is the summer stand-by. Versatile, 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.
Summer Squash – There is about 1 lb. in the bag this week. We grow several varieties. Look on the blog for pictures to identify the types
Eggplant - We have included a pound of eggplant this week. The varieties include Nubia (striped), Orient Express (dark purple) and Peng Tung(pink tongue?) Don’t bother to peel them; the skins are tender. Try the chunks on a shish kabob.
Long Beans – The traditional bean for Schezuan green beans. These hold up to stir-fry and keep a gentle crunch, but can also be steamed, boiled, sautéed, or eaten raw. Great green bean flavor!

The Combo Corner
The fruit selections from Cherry Orchard this week include Crest Haven peaches, Bartlett pears, and a seeded heirloom grape called Fredonia. It is similar to the more familiar Concord grape.
This week’s bread from The Village Bakery and Café is Italian Wheat.
This week’s Cheese Share from Integration Acres is their brand new variety of mozzarella from the Snowville cows. We are excited to taste this for ourselves!

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!

Please keep those green bags coming home!

OSU/Ag Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/osucsastudy
Please take a moment and answer these questions.


Recipes
Glazed Long Beans
Ingredients:
½ lb. Chinese long beans 2 Tbs. butter 2 Tbs. sliced scallions 1 Tbs. fresh minced garlic Pinch of red pepper flakes ½ C. chicken stock 1 Tbs. ho-ney 1 Tbs. se-same oil Salt and freshly cracked black pepper 2 Tbs. sesame seeds, opt
Directions:
In a large pot of boiling water, blanch long beans for 2 minutes until slightly tender. Allow to cool. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add butter. Add scallions, ginger, and garlic. Mix together. Add red pepper flakes and long beans. Allow to cook for a few minutes. Stir in chicken stock, honey and sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add sesame seeds, if desired. Mix together.
~from Aaron McCargo, jr. @ foodnetwork.com
There is a recipe for Schezuan Green Beans in the Week #8 newsletter.

GRILLED ORIENTAL EGGPLANT
Ingredients:
4 Japanese eggplant, halved lengthwise ¼ cup soy sauce ¼ cup dry sherry 2 Tbs. toasted sesame oil 3 cloves finely mince garlic Salt and freshly ground pepper 2 Tbs. sesame seeds, toasted lightly
Directions:
Place eggplant is a large shallow baking dish. Mix together the soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil, and garlic in a small bowl. Pour the marinade over the eggplant and let marinate at room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat grill. Season the eggplant with salt and pepper to taste and grill on each side or 3 minutes, basting occasionally with the remaining marinade. Serve topped with the toasted sesame seeds.
~from Bobby Flay @ foodnetwork.com

STIR-FRIED ASIAN EGGPLANT
INGREDIENTS:
4 Asian eggplants 2 teaspoons salt 1 tablespoon oyster sauce 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon sesame oil 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 teaspoons minced garlic 2 hot red chile peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
DIRECTIONS:
Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise, then cut diagonally into ½-inch slices. Cover the eggplants with water, add the salt, and stir to dissolve the salt. Soak the eggplants for 5 minutes, then drain well.
In a small bowl, mix the oyster sauce with the sugar and sesame oil and set aside.
Heat a wok or non-stick skillet over high heat. Add the vegetable oil, garlic, chile peppers, and eggplants and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons water and continue stir-frying for 2 more minutes. Add the oyster sauce mixture and stir well to mix. Remove to a platter and serve hot or cold.
~from Katie Chin, Everyday Chinese Cooking, 2000

Shiitake Mushrooms and Beets
Ingredients:
2 medium beets 8-10 mushrooms 1 teaspoon minced ginger 1 tablespoon soy sauce ½ teaspoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds (for garnish) ½ teaspoon Korean red pepper flakes, or to taste Salt and pepper to taste
Method: Slice the beets in half and boil for about 30 minutes or until tender. Cool.
Puree or mash beets and add ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Mix well and set aside.
Remove stems from mushrooms so that cap cam be stuffed.
Place mushrooms in a pan and sppon stuffing in the the mushroom caps.
Place in the oven at 375 F. for about 20 minutes or steam for about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm. Serves 2.
~shostiok.com

Farro with Shitake Mushrooms and Beets
2 tablespoons olive ol, divided 1 shallot, minced 1 cup slice shiitake mushrooms 1 garlic clove, minced 2 cups faro, rinsed and drained 2 cups chicken stock (or water ) ¼ cup soy sauce 2-3 medium beets, peeled, cut in ¼” dice Salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper ½ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Heat 1 tbs. olive oil over medium heat in a deep skillet or large sau-cepan. Add shallot and sauté until translucent. Add mushrooms and sauté until they soften, 2 minutes. Add garlic and stir briefly until fragrant. Add farro and cook, stirring to coat the grains and prevent sticking, 1-2 minutes. Add chicken stock, soy sauce, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer until farro is tender but chewy, about 20 minutes Add chicken stock ¼ cup at a time, to achieve desired consistency. When farro is cooking, heat 1 tbs olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add beets and sprinkle with salt. Sauté until tender and golden brown, 6-8 minutes.
To serve, toss faro with the beets and parsley. Garnish with feta cheese. Serve at room temperature. ~from tastefoodblog.com