Week 12 Newsletter, Winter 2012

ATHENS HILLS CSA

First of all, thanks to you all for your efforts with the returns of the Share Bags. The count has been close, but we still manage to have enough returned for the next week’s delivery. Keep up the great work! 

Kip spent most of the day Monday making room in the big barn for the delivery of the fertilizer and such. Of course, finishing this task required the completion of other tasks first. Inventory of all of the boxes (both waxed for wet greens and cardboard) is finished and we are in good shape in all but three kinds. There are so many that he measures a foot of boxes, counts the boxes in that foot, measures the height of the stack, and then he multiplies for the grand totals. The other project he started was the spring installation of the heating system’s water pump in the Starts House. Towards the end of this week, the plan is to begin to place planted flats of veggies in there. And then, the game is afoot! 

Dan’s biggest focus this week and next is to finish the annual certification application. One year in every three years, organic farms certified by O.E.F.F.A. are required to complete a very thorough and tedious application. You could liken it to the Long or Short Form of an IRS1040 - And this is our year for the Long one. Oh joy! He will also be busy with seeding flats, and making potting soil. 

 Intern candidates continue to contact us, and one more comes for a visit this Friday. Two women have accepted and will move in the first of April. (And April 1st is also the day when several Green-Edgers will be running in the Athens Half-Marathon.) Meanwhile, Becky is re-arranging the intern kitchen and lounge areas. Hopefully, this season will find these areas filled with tired, happy interns. 

Thursday afternoon, the Plant Propagation class from Ohio University will visit. This has become an annual event. They are full of questions that really cause us to stretch our knowledge. Some of our best interns have come from class visits just like this one, so we also benefit from the experience in that way. 

Enjoy the next month or so without the constant barrage of noxious political ads. Have a great week!
From all of us at Green Edge,
Becky (Kip, Dan, John, Rob, Theo, Penny, Diedra, Bethany, Alicia, and Liz)

WINTER 2012 OPEN FARM DAY 

Please join us on Sunday, March 25 from 1:00pm – 5:00pm for the annual winter open farm day. A potluck at the local Amesville Grange Hall begins at 1:00pm. Farm tours begin at 2:30 and leave in shifts from the Grange Hall to avoid parking glitches. Children’s activities are planned. FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY! 

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 - There are shiitakes for all this week.
Sunflower/MicroMix Microgreens - We have been sending our MicroMix microgreens to different sites each week. We hope you have enjoyed this little change. Everyone will get them eventually. The mixed microgreens are spicier, more delicate, and probably won’t store quite as long. But they are certainly good!
Collards – This distinctive green is known for its use with pork, but is equally tasty in vegetarian dishes. They work great as a wrapper for rollups w/ rice and other veggies.
Spinach – We are thrilled to bring you this new item. This wonderful green is so versatile. Use it raw in a salad, or cooked in many different dishes. “…good source of Niacin and Zinc, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.” – nutritiondata.com
 Kale – One of the favorite greens we grow. We just never have enough of it for everyone. Like other greens, use it raw, sauté, in soups or stir-fry.
 Carrots – The 2nd bed is just sizing up enough to pull. They may not look just like the grocery stores ones, but they are sweet and delicious.

THE COMBO CORNER

The apple selections from Cherry Orchard include Melrose, Fuji, Gold-rush, and Cameo.
This week’s bread from The Village Bakery and Café is the French Galette.
The cheese from Integration Acres is called Snow Melt. It's made with pasteurized cow's milk from Snowville Creamery. Aged for several months, it makes a terrific grilled cheese. It is named Snow Melt to honor the creamery as well as to acknowledge one of its most favorable attributes - meltability! 

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 4-8 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!  

RECIPES

Creamy Spinach Salad

~from: www.spinachrecipes.org
Ingredients: 

1 bunch of spinach, stemmed.
1 small red onion, cut into rings.
½ lb of bacon, cooked and drained.
½ cup of mayonnaise.
2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar.
2 tablespoons of sugar.
Preparation:  

Mix together the mayonnaise, white wine vinegar and sugar; then allow to stand for 90 minutes.
Clean and dry the spinach leaves, then tear into bite-size pieces and place in salad bowl.
Spread the onion rings over top of the spinach.
Crumble the bacon and put over top.
Toss with the dressing and serve.

Collards, Swiss Chard, and Mushrooms 

~ from SparkPeople.com 

This uses fat free low sodium chix broth. To make it vegetarian, just use mushroom broth instead for a great flavor depth.
Ingredients: 

1 bunch Collard Greens (about 3 cups chopped)
1 bunch Red Swiss Chard (about 3 cups chopped)
6 Crimini (brown) mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, coarsely diced
1/2 cup fat free low sodium broth of your choice 2 tbsp Sunflower seeds (I like the salted ones for the flavor kick
Directions:
Heat pan to medium to slightly medium high heat. As it's heating up add mushrooms, garlic and ¼ cup broth. Cook until liquid is gone. Add greens and other 1/4 cup broth. Cook down to desired doneness. Take off heat and add sunflower seeds. Toss to mix and then serve. Makes excellent leftovers and transforms into an omelet filling or a frittata the next day very easily.

Collards and Shiitake Mushrooms 

~from: highgroundorganics.com/recipes.  Serves 4.

Ingredients:  

½ pound shiitake mushrooms 

½ inch piece of peeled ginger, grated finely and squeezed for juice 

1 large clove of garlic, peeled and cracked 

¼ cup sake 

1/8 cup mirin (sweet Japanese cooking wine) 

1 tablespoon “white” or light soy sauce 

2 tablespoon of neutral flavored oil (grape seed or canola) 

Reserved stems from shiitake mushrooms 

 ½ inch piece of peeled ginger, crushed 

1 small garlic clove, peeled and de-germed 

4 drops “white” or light soy sauce 

1 bunch of collard greens, stripped from stems 

1 tablespoon neutral flavored oil
Directions:

 Remove and reserve the mushroom stems. Slice the mushrooms on the bias so you have wide, fairly thin, slices. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a 10-inch pan, preferably non-stick, and when hot, put in the garlic clove. Cook until the oil is fragrant and the garlic just starting to color. Add the mushrooms. Immediately toss to coat the mushrooms with the oil. Cook the mushrooms until they are all softened a bit. Drizzle in the sake, mirin, and soy sauce. Toss well. Add in the ginger juice. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Allow the mushrooms to gently cook. Check periodically to avoid burning. Meanwhile, bring a quart of water to a boil in a 2-quart chef’s pan, and add the collards. Bring them to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer, then cook covered for 20 minutes or so. At the same time, bring 2 cups of water to a boil for the mushroom stem “tea”. Put the mushroom stems, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce into a teapot or pan, and when the water boils, pour it onto the stems and company. Let steep until needed. Check the mush-rooms. If they are not quite tender but the liquid is gone, just add a splash of water and stir them around. Repeat until tender. If they are done but it seems wet in the pan, remove the lid and cook to reduce the liquid. When the collards are soft (around 20 minutes), pour out most of the liquid so only a tablespoon or two of liquid remains. Strain the mushroom stem “tea” into the pot and stir the collards around. Cook until the liquid is almost entirely gone. Drizzle the last tablespoon of oil onto the greens and stir to coat. Empty the collards and any remaining liquid into the mushroom pan and turn up the heat to warm through if needed. Stir the mess around to combine well, and then serve. This recipe combines well with kasha or other whole grains such as wheat berries.

Spinach Patties
 ~from: Cat Can Cook- this is a blog by Catherine Robertson and was posted on February 3, 2010. This was the winning recipe in a contest, submitted by: Sampa Ghosh. Serves 4.
Ingredients:
1½ Cup Cooked Rice
3 Medium Size Boiled Potatoes
2½ Cup Finely Chopped Spinach
1 tsp Green Chili Paste
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
2½ Tbsp Besan/Gram Flour
1 tsp Garam Masala Powder
Salt to taste
Oil
Directions:
1. Peel the potato skin. Take a large bowl; add boiled potato and cooked rice and mash well.
2. Now add all other ingredients (chopped spinach, green chili paste, ginger-garlic paste, besan/gram flour, garam masala powder, salt) in the bowl and mix well.
3. Make few round shaped patties from the mixture.
4. Shallow fry the patties on medium heat till both sides light brown. Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Crustless Spinach Quiche

~from A Life in Drive via Food Network 

Ingredients: 

Small tab of butter 

4 Tbsp. parmesan cheese 

2 eggs 

2 egg yolks 

2 cups fat-free half & half 

1 10 oz. box of chopped spinach or fresh 

1 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese 

2 Tbsp. flour 

1 tsp. paprika 

 Salt & pepper 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

2. Grease the bottom of a glass pie plate with butter and sprinkle 2 tbsp. parmesan cheese across it. 

3. Combine spinach, eggs, half & half, cheese, flour, paprika, and S&P in a blender or food processor. 

4. Pulse until combined and mixture starts to turn green. 

5. Pour the mixture into the pie plate. Top with remaining 2 tbsp. parmesan cheese. Bake for about 40 minutes, until browned on top.