Week 17 Newsletter

ATHENS HILLS CSA

     With rain in the forecast for the rest of this week, Kip is busy sowing cover crop seed on the fields that have been harvested. The fence lines have all been mowed and trimmed for the last time this season. Clearing the weeds from the fence wire means that the electric fence has a powerful charge and isn’t losing its ‘jolt’ by following the weeds into the ground. More chores get ticked from the ‘To Do’ list. How fortunate we have been to have had a week without rain. Many of our neighbors took advantage of these conditions too and brought in another round of hay for feeding livestock this winter. 

    Last Friday was Kurt’s last day. He is moving to the other side of the county as well as beginning to work in construction. Indeed, we expect to see him when it’s time to build the two greenhouses later this fall. Alicia has replaced him, and another new intern, Rob, has replaced her. Rob is from Delaware, Ohio and has just finished working for Villa Maria Farm in Pennsylvania. We welcome him. 

    Sunday we shared knowledge with another Columbus farmer who has an interest in growing during the winter for grocery stores and restaurants. There is much to know, but ultimately in the winter, the will to persevere is the key. Tuesday, we visited with another group of seniors from the engineering department from OU. Two groups have taken up our greenhouse project as theirs for this year. Hopefully, the two teams will be able to devise a system(s) that will reduce out labor requirements as well as keeping the row covers drier. It’s a mighty big expectation! 

    Yesterday we heard through the grapevine that our ground stakes for the new greenhouses will be ready this weekend. Of course, we won’t make the trip to fetch them without official word, but being able to have them placed and set in concrete before the rest of the tubing arrives allows the ground to settle some. With the ground stakes in place, we can begin to work the ground for the beds even before the rest of the house is built. And the days grow shorter with each circle of the sun. Have a great week!

From all of us at Green Edge,

Becky (Kip, Dan, John, Cale, Maria, Penny, Liz, Theo, Diedra, Bethany, Alicia, Corey, and Rob)

THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES

Mushrooms - Shiitake

Sunflower Microgreens - These have a mild, almost nutty flavor and are juicy and crunchy.
Sweet 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.
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.
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.
Spaghetti Squash - This winter squash differs from the others with creamy flesh that comes out in ‘strings’ that look like spaghetti. Many people put sauce on it and serve it that way, but there is more that you can do with it.

THE COMBO CORNER

The fruit selections from Cherry Orchard will include Beurre Bosc pears, a French heirloom pear; Cortland apples, a white fleshed apple in the MacIntosh family; Golden Delicious apples; and Mars seedless grapes.
This week’s bread from The Village Bakery and Café is Country Wheat.
This week’s Cheese Share from Integration Acres is Chase Cheddar, hard white goat 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!

Welcome to Fiona Jo Healey!
Fiona was born last Wednesday to John and Tara. All of us at the farm are thrilled for them!

Please keep those green bags coming home!

THANKS!

RECIPES

Cabbage and "Noodles"
by Michelle Wasserman created for the 2009 Producer Appreciation Night at the Casa Nueva Restaurant.

Ingredients:
1 ½ Cups onions, sliced 

¼ Cup butter 

1 ½ Tablespoon paprika 

8 Cups green cabbage, sliced 

2 teaspoons sea salt 

2 medium spaghetti squash
Directions:
1) Melt the butter in a large pot. When bubbly, stir in the onions and paprika. Cover and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes. Stir once or twice.
2) Add sliced cabbage and salt; stir well; cover and cook on low heat for 50-60 minutes. Stir every 15-20 minutes.
3) While the cabbage cooks, cut the spaghetti squash in half, scoop out seeds, rub the flesh with a little olive oil and place on a cookie sheet with the skin side down (so they are like cups – slicing a little from the end keeps them from rolling around). Bake at 3750F for 45 minutes.
4) Let the squash cool a bit, then using a fork, shred the flesh out of the skins and into the pot of cabbage. Use a hot pad to protect your hands!
5) Mix it all together, then eat till you burst!!

This was a hit with the folks from the farm, and believe me they have eaten their fair share of spaghetti squash.

Spaghetti Squash Gratins with Chunky Tomato Sauce
 by Judy Lockhart, Cooking Light, December 2005

These individual casseroles are like little lasagnas with spaghetti squash replacing the traditional lasagna noodles.
Ingredients:  

1 (2-pound) spaghetti squash 

1 teaspoon olive oil 

2 garlic cloves, minced 

1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided 

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper 

2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, drained and chopped 

3 oregano sprigs 

3 thyme sprigs 

½ cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese 

2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano 

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 

1 (15-ounce) carton fat-free ricotta cheese
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400°.
2) Pierce squash with a fork. Place squash on a baking sheet; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. 3) Cut squash in half lengthwise; discard seeds. Scrape inside of squash with a fork to remove spaghetti-like strands to measure 4 cups.
4) Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, crushed red pepper, tomatoes, oregano, and thyme sprigs; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Discard oregano and thyme sprigs.
5) Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, Parmesan, and remaining ingredients. Spoon 1/2 cup squash into each of 8 (8-ounce) ramekins. Spoon tomato sauce evenly over squash; divide ricotta mixture evenly among ramekins, spreading to cover. 

6) Bake at 400° for 50 minutes or until lightly browned.

Middle-Eastern Style Spaghetti Squash

from FabulousFoods.com
8 servings

Ingredients:
1 Large Spaghetti Squash 

2 T. Butter 

2 T. Olive Oil 

½ teaspoon cardamom 

¾ teaspoon coriander 

1/8 teas. ground ginger 

1/8 teas. allspice 

salt and white pepper to taste 

½ C. toasted slivered almonds 

zest of one orange
Directions:
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat butter and oil then stir in spices, except salt and pepper. Cook for about a minute. Stir in squash and sauté until well coated, adding white pepper and salt to taste. Remove to a serving dish. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and orange zest just before serving.

Ed,’s Note: 1 minute won’t be enough to ‘cook’ the squash. So bake the squash first and scrape out the insides with a fork – then the ‘strings’ of spaghetti will cook nicely in the spices. Use the baking method in the previous recipes and you should be fine.