Week 12 Newsletter

Athens Hills CSA
Two days ago, we were sweltering from the heat, but today we are wrapped in sweatshirts and trying to avoid the wind. Welcome to the Ohio River valley. The excessive rain has squashed our plans for succession planting and we will now be planting as much as we can every day we can. But with several more days of rain forecast for the remainder of this week, it may be a while before anything will get planted. “Extremes” seems to be the norm for this year. As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, we are participating in a CSA survey with an OSU Agricultural Communications student. When you have a moment, please follow this link to his survey. We’ll get his results, and share them with you when we do. Thanks! https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/osucsastudy We had thought we would have mushrooms for this week, but alas, the mushrooms have been replaced with Basil. Last week the air exchanger in the mushroom grow room went ‘down for the count’. Its replacement took a few days to complete which meant the schedule was pushed out of sync. We will be back on track in a few more days though so not to worry, the fungus will be among us again shortly. And speaking of basil, some of you had asked about extra basil for processing. When the disease came, we had said we couldn’t have any, but with the miraculous recovery of the plants, we could have pounds available if wanted. Just e-mail Becky for the details if you are interested. But don’t dawdle, with these cooler temperatures, we won’t see much regrowth of the current plantings. The first planning session for the Winter 2012 season went smoothly last week, and we will have the final session this week. We have new partner items for this winter and we are excited to offer even more fine Athens county products for you to enjoy. We expect to have the Reservation letters to our past winter members and our current summer members by the middle of September. I can tell you that the first delivery of the Winter 2012 cycle will be December 7th. We hope you will be joining us for those next five months. Have a great week! Stay warm and dry.
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!
Sunflower Microgreens - If you’re not familiar with micro-greens, you are in for a surprise! These are grown in soil and im-part the nutritional additions from the soil. These have a mild, almost nutty flavor and are juicy and crunchy.
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…
Slicer Tomatoes - Round and red are these hybrid beauties. They are easier to transport, and store than their fragile heirlooms cou-sins. They are firm enough for chunking into salads or slicing for the ultimate sandwich.
Eggplant - We have included a half-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.
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 two of its uses.
Sweet Basil -Week #1 newsletter talks some of pesto making and different ingredients that can be used to make this herbal ‘paste’ for dipping, pasta sauce or a spread for bread.
Heirloom Tomatoes - Heirloom tomatoes differ from hybrids. Their amazing flavor is the trade-off for their delicate nature. Easily bruised and thin- skinned, they are difficult to transport.

The Combo Corner
The fruit selections from Cherry Orchard this week include grapes, peaches, and apples.
This week’s bread from The Village Bakery and Café is Batard, a French loaf.
This week’s Cheese Share from Integration Acres is their newest variety of cow’s milk cheese - fresh mozzarella.

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.
Thanks!

Recipes
This week we have two recipes that were sent by members. I pass them to you and say Bon Appétit!

Chicken Ratatouille with Penne
by In One Pot, from Weight Watchers Publish-ing Group
2 tsp olive oil
1 pound uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast
1 medium red onion, chopped
 2 garlic clove, chopped
 ½ pound(s) raw eggplant, unpeeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium yellow summer squash, cut into 1- inch cubes
1 medium green pep per(s), seeded and cut into 1” pieces
28 oz canned tomatoes, Italian, drained and chopped
 ½ cup white wine, dry 2 tsp dried oregano
 1 tsp sugar 3/4 tsp table salt
4 cup cooked penne, hot
½ cup(s) basil, fresh, chopped
¼ cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese

Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a nonstick Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden on the outside and no longer pink inside, about 4 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and let rest 5 minutes for easier slicing. Cut diagonally into thin slices.

Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the same Dutch oven. Add the onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, bell pepper, tomatoes, wine, oregano, sugar, and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are softened and the flavors are well developed, about 30 minutes
.
Return the sliced chicken to the Dutch oven and briefly heat through. Stir in the cooked pasta, basil, and cheese. Yields 6 - 1 ½ cup per serving.
THANKS AMANDA!


Lasagna with Eggplant and Chard
This family favorite comes from page 468 of Deborah Madison’s “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone” (1997). Stephan writes, “I make fresh tomato sauce and pasta with all-purpose flour. It’s a time consuming dish to prepare but worth every single minute.”

1 ½ pounds Egg pasta (p.444), or 1 box dried 1 Cup Fresh Tomato sauce, page 61, or Quick Canned Tomato sauce p 63 2 Tbl olive oil, plus extra for eggplant 2 Tbl butter ½ Onion, finely diced 3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped 1 bunch green Chard, stems removed Salt and freshly milled pepper 1 Egg

1 ½ pounds eggplant, sliced crosswise ¼” thick ½ cup dry white wine 1 cup ricotta ¾ cup grated pecorino Romano 8 oz, fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Prepare the pasta dough and tomato sauce. Roll and cut dough, set it aside on towels to dry while you prepare the vegetables. Unless it’s garden fresh, salt the eggplant, let stand 30 minutes, then blot dry. (For dry pasta, start no more that 15 minutes before assembling lasagna, boil until pliable, drain, store in ice water until layering in baking dish)

Preheat the oven to 400oF. Brush both sides of the eggplant lightly with oil. Place the slices on a sheet pan and bake, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 30 minutes in all. Chop coarsely.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil and butter in a large skillet. Add the onion and garlic and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the chard, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt, and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, cover and cook until the chard is tender and the pan is dry, about 10 minutes. Turn the mixture out onto a cutting board and finely chop. In a bowl, mix the ricotta, 1/3 cup water and the egg, then stir in the chard. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Oil a 9” x 12” baking dish. Spread 1/3 cup tomato sauce over the bottom and cover with a layer of pasta. Scatter a quarter of the grated cheese over the top and add a quarter of the eggplant, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella. Follow with another layer of pasta and repeat for three more layers. End with a layer of pasta and the remaining sauce. Cover with foil, tenting it above the surface.

Bake 20-30 minutes (or until heated through) in the preheated 400 degreesF. oven. Remove the foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes more. Let it rest a few minutes before serving…

THANKS STEPHAN!