Week 6 Newsletter, Winter 2012

ATHENS HILLS CSA

Winter struck with a vengeance over the weekend! With the ice storm that hit on Friday night, no one could make it to the farm on Saturday morning. Becky and Kip (mainly Kip) loaded all the market coolers and totes into the van and car for the journey to town. We were a little late, but so was the crowd. John joined us from town to work market with Becky. Kip finished the deliveries and was able to return to the farm to set up the generators. Folks finally made it to the farm around 2:00 to give Kip a needed hand. 

At the farm, the power also went out on Friday night. This is always a trying event. Kip spends hours hooking up the gasoline generator to all of the circuits that are not fed by the automatic natural gas generator. Of course, this also means furnace heat in the house is out too because the thermostat needs electricity to work. Fortunately, power was restored by 8:00 pm. Generators were disconnected; the house was warm; and we went to bed. By Monday, only mud remained as a reminder of the weekend’s merciless weather. 

Two new intern candidates will be visiting us this week – one from State College, PA and the other from Westerville. We are always eager to meet new folks and share what we can teach them. Every year, Dan improves the actual curriculum that we expect they will know when they leave. These lessons, along with the farm visits that we coordinate with other farms in the area, offer an opportunity to learn by studying and observing as well as the ‘doing part’ at Green Edge. 

Seed orders continue to arrive; supplies like hoses, ground cloth, connectors, plastic, flats, fertilizers, and all the other items so necessary to production are also being ordered and received. For us, this is the wonderful benefit of the CSA. We can purchase all of these items, pay the wages of the crew who so faithfully pay attention to the details, and pay for the regular monthly bills without having to borrow working cash. Your investment in us is the most important part of the financial workings of the farm. If you haven’t heard it from us yet: THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL YOU HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE SUCCESS OF THIS FARM!!

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

OPEN FARM DAY

Join us on Sunday, March 25th for our winter Open Farm Day. We’ll meet at the Amesville Grange, have a potluck, visit with folks, and then caravan to the farm for a tour of your veggies. This year our annual Farm Day will also be promoted as a Farm-to-Table event by the Ohio Farm Bureau. More details later!

THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES

Salad Mix – In the mix this week are 7 varieties of lettuce, mizuna, and pe-tsai. The last two are mild Asian greens. This mix is best stored in an air-tight container with some paper towel or cloth to absorb any extra drops of water that can form.
Mushrooms - Shiitake this week.
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. These have a mild, almost nutty flavor and are juicy and crunchy. A few of you will instead receive micromix microgreens.
Sweet Potatoes - Similar to the squashes in color but decidedly sweeter in flavor. To store these beauties, do not refrigerate – keep them at around 55o - optimum storage conditions.
Potatoes - A combination of Carola (yellow flesh) and Kennebec (white) potatoes are included this week. There is no difference in cooking times, but see if you can tell a difference in flavor…
Turnips – My shorthand for these is ‘petwogs’ for Purple-Topped White Globes. The ones we had raw in salad yesterday were sweet and crunchy. I sliced them in very thin quarters resembling a piece of pie in shape.
Kale – A favorite on the farm! like all greens, steam, stir-fry, sauté, use in soups, casseroles and other preparations. Also, it’s delicious raw and massaged with olive oil, lemon juice, and honey. Yummmy!

THE COMBO CORNER

The apple selections from Cherry Orchard this week include Fuji, Gold Rush, Cameo, and Red Delicious.
This week’s bread from The Village Bakery and Café is the French Galette.
This week’s Cheese Share from Integration Acres is a wedge of blue cheese, made with pasteurized cow's milk from Snowvillle Creamery. Aged for one month, try it crumbled on a salad or spread it on crackers. 

PICKUP CONTACT NUMBERS & HOURS

BREATHING SPACE YOGA 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 4pm-8 pm
HYACINTH BEAN – 740-594-9302 12-6pm
HARMONY CHIROPRACTIC – 740 592-4631 3pm-7pm

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! 

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Green-Edge-Gardens/327289894146
Twitter - http://twitter.com/GreenEdgeGarden

RECIPES

Another suggestion from Michelle at Integration Acres for this week’s cheese selection: Spread the blue cheese on slices from a loaf of crusty bread. Drizzle with honey and then broil in the oven for several minutes. Serve it with apple or pear slices. Thanks Michelle!

Sweet Potato Biscuits 

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen
Ingredients:
1¼ cups all-purpose flour 

2 heaping tablespoons sugar 

4 teaspoons baking powder 

½ teaspoon salt 

3/4 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes 

¼ cup (½ stick) softened butter 

2 to 4 tbls milk (depending on the moisture of the potatoes) 

Directions: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate, large bowl, mix the sweet potatoes and butter. Add the flour mixture to the potato mixture and mix to make a soft dough. Then add milk a tablespoon at a time to the mixture and continue to cut in. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and toss lightly until the outside of the dough looks smooth. Roll the dough out to 1/2-inch thick and cut with a biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits on a greased pan and coat tops with melted butter. Bake for about 15 minutes. (Watch your oven: If the biscuits are browning too fast, lower the temperature.)

Creamed Mushrooms
from Epicurious.com
This recipe sounds like it would be a wonderful topper to chicken, pasta/noodles, cooked greens or just as a side dish of its own.
Ingredients:
1 large shallot, minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps chopped coarsely (this is the exact amount you usually get in your shares)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves or a rounded 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions:
Cook shallot in butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add shiitake and salt and pepper to taste and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring, until mushrooms are softened and browned lightly. Stir in wine, vinegar, and rosemary and boil until all liquid is evaporated. Add cream and simmer, stirring, until thickened slightly, about 1 minute. Season mixture with salt and pepper. 

Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Kale and Great Northern Beans

from food.com, 6 servings
Ingredients: 

salt 2 ½ cups milk (low-fat is fine) 2

Bay leaves 

1 bunch kale (chard will work) 

1 lb pasta, elbow, shell, ziti 

1 (15 ounce) can of northern white beans, drained 

4 tablespoons butter 

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

1 ½ cups sharp white cheddar cheese, grated 

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

Freshly ground black pepper 

½ cup fresh whole wheat bread crumbs

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. 

2. Cook the milk with the bay leaves in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. When small bubbles appear along the sides, about 5 minutes later, turn off the heat and let stand. 

3. In the salted water, cook the pasta al dente. Drain it, rinse it quickly to stop the cooking, and put it in a large bowl. 

4. Trim the stems from the kale. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add kale. Boil kale for one minute, remove, and set aside to cool. Squeeze excess water from kale and chop into edible pieces. 

5. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter; when it is foamy, add the flour and cook, stirring, until the mixture browns, about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves from the milk and add about ¼ cup of the milk to the hot flour mixture, stirring with a wire whisk all the while. As soon as the mixture becomes smooth, add a little more milk and continue to do so until all the milk is used up and the mixture is thick and smooth. Add the cheddar and stir. 

6. Pour the sauce over the noodles, toss in the Parmesan and kale, mix in the white beans, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

7. Use the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter to grease a 9 x 13-inch or similar size baking pan and turn the pasta mixture into it. Top liberally with bread crumbs and bake until bubbling and crumbs turn brown, 15 minutes. Serve piping hot.