Week 16 Newsletter

ATHENS HILLS CSA

   That huge sigh of relief you heard from the south last weekend was us. Through amazing efforts on the part of Kip and Theo and others, all of the sweet potatoes made it out of the ground before the forecasted frost (which didn’t happen) and the rain (which did in buckets). All are safely tucked away in the hot house to cure before storing in our bunker with the winter squashes. It was our best harvest ever of these sweet delicacies. We are ever so grateful. 

   All of the greenhouses have had the tomato vines removed. After some amending to the soil, the newly formed beds will be planted with the starts that have been growing for the last several weeks in preparation of this time. Day length is a critical component to the success of growing winter greens. Having the starts in the ground when there is still enough daylight can mean the difference between a crop and a disappointment. We are mostly on schedule and hope to make up the lost day or two in the near future. So far we are transplanting collards and Swiss chard and Salad Mix and seeding more carrots and spinach. 

   Every day we await the news of completion of the parts of our two new green- houses. We are anxious to get the ground posts set for them. Setting these ground posts is the most critical component of these structures. Having them square and level is essential and requires the most time to be exact. Once they are set correctly, the rest of the house goes up smoothly. Dan already has the starts ready to fill at least one of them. With the completion of those houses, we will have reached our capacity for packing and storing each season. Any growth beyond this will require major infrastructure improvements. 

   Enrollment in the Winter 2012 cycle continues at a pace never seen before by us. We are already two-thirds sold out without even contacting anyone on the ever-growing waiting list. Please let us know your intentions soon. We will begin to contact the first group of the waiting list soon. As this first blast of winter fades into the warmth of fully ripened autumn, we say thank you for your support this summer. Have a great week!

From all of us at Green Edge,
Becky (Kip, Dan, John, Maria, Kurt, Rob, Liz, Penny, Theo, Diedra, Bethany, Corey, and Alicia)

THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES

Sunflower Microgreens - These have a mild, almost nutty flavor and are juicy and crunchy.
Peppers - We are thrilled to still have these summer treats to share with you. But , if you have had enough for a while consider chopping them into uniform pieces and freezing them. Peppers are one of the few veggies than can be frozen without blanching. They’ll be a happy reminder of summer in February.
Eggplant - These tender skinned beauties will not be here for long as they thrive in dry heat. From Baba Ganoush to shish kabobs they are a sure sign of warmer weather.
Carrots – If you haven’t had freshly dug carrots before, prepare to be amazed with their sweetness. As with all things in the winter, sugar is made by the plant to keep it from freezing, so the colder the weather, the sweeter the veggie.
Heirloom Tomatoes - The greenhouses have been cleared of all tomatoes, so savor the flavor of each of these. They will soon be gone.
Red and Blue Potatoes - We had much more success this year with these varieties of potatoes. Brush off that Parsley Potato recipe, or conjure up a stir-fry with some sweet peppers.
Kale – By far, the most popular cold weather green, kale is wonderful cooked or raw.
Parsley – After the cold and wet spring, the parsley has finally made an appearance in the garden. We hope it will be here for a while. This flat Italian parsley is prized by cooks.

THE COMBO CORNER

The fruit selections from Cherry Orchard this week include Melrose apples. The Melrose apple is our state's apple. It was developed at OSU. It is a cross of Red Delicious and Jonathan making a crisp sweet/tart apple. Seckel Pears ( small and sweet) and Sparlett Pears (large Bartlett type ) are part of this week's share also along with Mars Grapes.
This week’s bread from The Village Bakery and Café is Local Harvest - whole wheat, white whole wheat, and cornmeal blend.
This week’s Cheese Share from Integration Acres is Herbes de Provence, an herbed soft cheese.
 

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! Thanks!

RECIPES

Orange Glazed Carrots

from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 pound baby carrots
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 pinch of salt
Directions:

Place carrots in a shallow saucepan, and cover with water. Boil until tender. Drain, and return carrots to pan. ~Pour orange juice over carrots, and mix well. Simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in brown sugar, butter, and salt. Heat until butter and sugar melt.

Glazed Carrots  

from myrecipes.com
Ingredients: 

4 large carrots, peeled & cut into 2” sticks 

1 ½ Tbls unsalted butter, cut into pieces 

1 tsp sugar 

Kosher salt
Directions:

Place the carrots in a large skillet. 

Dot with butter and sprinkle with the sugar and ¼ tsp salt.
Add enough cold water to come halfway up the sides of the carrots. 

Simmer, partially covered, until the carrots are tender and the liquid has reduced to a glaze, about 20 minutes. (If the carrots are done before this point, transfer them to a bowl, increase heat to high, and cook the liquid, uncovered, until reduced. Return the carrots to the pan and toss.)

Massaged Kale Salad
from vegandietician.blogspot.com 

Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
1 bunch kale, de-stemmed, torn into bite-sized pieces
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2 TB apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup dried currants, cherries, or raisins
1 small or 1/2 large apple, diced
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, raw or toasted
Directions:
Put kale in a large mixing bowl.
Add salt and massage into kale for a few minutes.

(Note that curly kale will need a bit more time to become tender than lacinato kale. You can add another sprinkle of salt if it doesn't seem to be shrinking enough.)
Magic!

Gently stir in remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust salt, vinegar and oil as needed. Enjoy!

Eggplant, Potato, Bean & Pepper Stir-Fry

from seasonalontariofood.blogspot.com
4 servings / 40 minutes prep time
Ingredients, Veggies:
450 grams (1 pound) potatoes
250 grams ( 1/2 pound) green beans
250 grams (1/2 pound or 2 large) long Chinese eggplants
1 large onion
1 large red pepper
Directions, Veggies:
Wash the potatoes and cut them into chunks. Put them in a pot with water to cover, and bring them to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile wash, trim and chop the beans. Wash and trim the eggplants, and cut them into 1 cm wide slices. Cut the slices in half if they are large. Peel and chop the onion coarsely. Wash, trim, deseed and chop the red pepper into bite-sized pieces.
When the potatoes have boiled for 10 minutes, put the green beans in a colander, and drain the water from the potatoes over them to blanch them, but keep the potatoes in the pot so they are separate from each other. Rinse them both in cold water, and drain again.

Ingredients, Sauce:
1 tablespoon peeled, minced ginger
4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tsp arrowroot or corn starch
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablepsoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sucanat or dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
Directions, Sauce:
The ginger and garlic don't exactly go into the sauce; peel them and mince them and set them aside. Mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl.

Finish the Dish:
3 to 4 tablespoons mild vegetable oil 

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a very large skillet. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minute until they are lightly browned.

Add another tablespoon of oil, and the eggplants. Cook, stirring frequently, for another 5 minutes.
Add the onions, pepper, and green beans and a little more oil if needed, and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the ginger and garlic, stir in well then add the sauce ingredients, still stirring. As soon as the sauce thickens - in moments - remove from the heat and serve.