Week 15 Newsletter, Winter 2012

ATHENS HILLS CSA

THANKS to all who made the trip to the farm on Sunday. About 80 folks including children arrived and enjoyed an amazing table of spectacular foods prepared by the farm and the people who attended (I love potlucks!). We had a wonderful time meeting many folks who have been members for years! All of the children who attended received coloring books and made seed sprouting necklaces. Members met with our partners from the cheese, fruit, milk, and bread folks. Rob and Diedra, along with our friend Mark, played music under a tent at the farm. You can see pictures on our Facebook page. (We’ve included a live link beneath the host’s contact info in the next column.) The farm hosts another Open Farm Day for the Summer 2012 folks in a few months. Feel free to join us for that if you couldn’t make last Sunday. 

In just a few short days, our first two interns for this season will arrive. Both of them are from the area – Natalie is living in Nelsonville, and Emily is from Logan. We are very excited about their arrival. George has started work on the 3rd cabin. With luck and his tenacity, it will be fully ready for the next intern when he/she arrives in a couple of weeks. We have not decided about the two remaining openings, so no one is currently waiting for housing. 

In a sudden gust of wind last week, another greenhouse cover blew off. Just like the last one, we are reminded of the reason for changing to white oak and not poplar for the hip boards that support the metal tracks for the wiggle wire. Poplar retains moisture and rots, or the excess moisture causes the screws to rust and simply break off sending the cover flying. And also like the last time, the cover did not completely detach, so we were able to pull it back in place (sorta) for the blast of cold temperatures on Monday evening. No harm came from the cold temperatures either. For that we are grateful. 

This week the crew will begin prepping and planting the raised beds, the home of the summer herbs and salad mix. Yum-yum. Have a great week.
From all of us at Green Edge,
Becky (Kip, Dan, John, Rob, Theo, Penny, Diedra, Bethany, Laurel, Alicia, and Liz)

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 for everyone 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!
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.
Swiss Chard – We are very pleased to have this favorite return to the list for its mild flavor and versatility. It’s great steamed, stir-fried, braised, sautéed, or in soup.
Spinach –There’s almost a pound of spinach this week. Someone at farm day made a spectacular spinach salad with toasted pecans and dried cranberries. The dressing was so light it may just have been oil. Boy was it ever good! This wonderful green is so versatile. Use it raw in a salad, or cooked in many different dishes.
Carrots – The 3rd bed is 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 this week include Melrose and Mutzu. This is the last pickup of fruit for this week’s half-share folks.
This week’s bread from The Village Bakery and Café is the French Galette.
This week’s cheese share from Integration Acres is Herbes du Provence chevre.

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!

OPEN FARM DAY PICTURES

Check out pictures from Open Farm Day at the live links below.
Green Edge Gardens on FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/pages/Green-Edge-Gardens/327289894146
30 Mile Meal Project Blog http://30milemeal.wordpress.com/2012/03/27/green-edge-organic-gardens-rooted-in-and-cultivating-community/#comment-61

RECIPES

Spinach Salad with Honey Dressing*

from allrecipes.com
Ingredients:  

½ medium red apple 

Lemon Juice 

3 cups torn fresh spinach 

3 cups torn red leaf lettuce 

½ small red onion, sliced and separated into rings 

½ (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained 

2 tablespoons & 2 teaspoons toasted sunflower kernels 

3 bacon strips, cooked, crumbled
Dressing: 

¼ cup vegetable oil 

2 tablespoons sugar 

1 tablespoon cider vinegar 

1 tablespoon+3/4 tsp honey 

1/4 teaspoon celery salt 

1/4 teaspoon onion salt 

1/4 teaspoon paprika 

1/4 teaspoon ground mustard 

1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
Directions:  Thinly slice apple; brush with lemon juice. In a large salad bowl, toss the spinach, lettuce, onion, oranges and apple slices. Sprinkle with sunflower kernels and bacon. In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1 minute. Stir and drizzle over salad. Toss. Serve immediately.

*This recipe was originally double this, but I converted it so that there would be enough spinach from this week’s share to prepare it. That is a great feature of the allrecipes.com site. There is a conversion tab on the page with the ingredients. Pretty convenient for certain….

Spinach and Mushroom Frittata

from cbsop.com/recipes
Ingredients:
7 eggs
1 10 oz package spinach (either fresh, or if you’re looking for instant gratification, a defrosted frozen spinach works just as well here.)
Approx 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 small (8oz) package sliced button mush- rooms (try your shiitakes here)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 large cloves garlic, minced (or 4 tsp minced garlic, if you prefer)
1 good handful chopped parsley (Flat leaf would work best, but I haven’t been able to find it lately)
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp sage (fresh is best, chiffenade about 5 leaves.. Again, I didn’t have any, so dry works)
Salt and pepper to taste
7 Tbsp milk
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F 

2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Sweat onions and garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil until just translucent and softened. Add mush-rooms, breaking up any very large pieces. Allow to cook until well browned. Add salt, pepper, and spinach. (If using fresh spinach, cook until completely wilted. If using frozen, cook until heated through.) Remove from pan and place in strainer to remove as much liquid as possible. 

3. Wipe pan clean with paper towel, add remaining olive oil and return to heat. 

4. In large bowl, beat eggs and milk together. Add ½ of the cheese and all remaining ingredients, mix well. Pour mixture into skillet and allow to sit over flame until eggs begin to bubble. Place skillet in oven and cook until eggs are set (approx 20 minutes). 

5. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top of the frittata and return to oven until cheese is melted and slightly browned. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes and serve.

Kale, Chard, Chicken, and Feta Salad**

from www.allrecipes.com
Ingredients:  

 ½ cup cider vinegar 

2 teaspoons honey 

½ teaspoon salt 

½ teaspoon black pepper 

½ teaspoon dried oregano (optional) 

½ cup olive oil
1 bunch kale, torn into bite-sized pieces 

1 bunch Swiss chard, torn into bite-sized pieces 

1 pound grilled skinless, boneless chicken breast, sliced thin 

1 (6 ounce) container crumbled feta cheese, or more to taste 

1/3 cup raisins 

1/3 cup chopped, toasted walnuts
Directions:  Whisk the vinegar, honey, salt, pepper, and oregano in a bowl until the honey has dissolved. Whisk in the olive oil until evenly blended. Place the kale, Swiss chard, chicken, feta cheese, raisins, and walnuts into a bowl. Toss with the dressing to serve.
**A note from the person who posted the recipe encourages folks to experiment. “You can use lemon juice in place of the cider vinegar. Also can use Gorgonzola or shaved Parmesan cheese in place or in addition to feta!”

Quinoa Chard Pilaf

from: www.allrecipes.com
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 onion, diced 

3 cloves garlic, minced 

2 cups uncooked quinoa, rinsed 

1 cup canned lentils, rinsed 

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped 

1 quart vegetable broth 

1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and sauté 5 min-utes, until onion is tender. Mix in quinoa, lentils, and mushrooms. Pour in the broth. Cover, and cook 20 minutes.
Remove the pot from heat. Shred chard, and gently mix into the pot. Cover, and allow to sit 5 minutes, or until chard is wilted.