Week 5 Newsletter, Winter 2013

ATHENS HILLS CSA

Some, not all, will celebrate this week as the end of the sweet potatoes for this season! The good thing is that they store well without refrigeration! Many seasons we have been eating the last of the monster-sized ones in May or even later. Abundance of one crop is a blessing and a curse for us. We’re thrilled to have enough product so that everyone has plenty. We’re sorry when folks have gotten more than they can stand. Eating with the seasons can mean ‘want or plenty'. 

While Kip is making the Columbus deliveries on Wednesday, Dan and Becky will be hosting a small group of folks in a mini-workshop. This is an abbreviated version of last December’s “Season Creation” workshop. This same workshop in its full form is scheduled again for Feb. 21. The cost is $25.00. While it is geared for growers, it is definitely open to anyone. If you are interested, send us a message and we’ll put your name on the list. 

The final details for the Summer 2013 season will be completed on Thursday this week. Miranda will be sending out the early sign-up notices in the 1st part of February. Work continues on the final budget, which is scheduled to be finished by the middle of next week. Once those numbers are complete, we have a much clearer picture of ‘what kind’ and ‘how much’ to plant. 

In the greenhouses, the crew keeps a watchful eye for pests of the winter and weeds. When the temperature falls again and the ground freezes, which could be next week, the asparagus field will be spread with farm-generated compost. Adding this compost improves the organic matter in the soil. 

During the last week or so, the farm has been receiving messages of all formats about the impending implementation of the new Food Safety Act and it’s impacts for small farms. However, the details are very sketchy. Some say the standards don’t apply to a small farm, but others say the standards will be the same throughout the country no matter the size. This means a 10,000 acre Arizona lettuce farm would have the same standards as us. We’ll keep you informed as we hear. Have a great week!

From all of us at Green Edge,
Becky (Kip, Dan, Rob, Miranda, Emily, Natalie, Penny, Jane, Mark, Theo, and Matt)

THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES

Salad Mix – In the mix this week are 7 varieties of lettuce, mizuna, pe-tsai, and tatsoi. The last three 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 - Some will receive shiitake and some will receive our oyster mushrooms. Store these in the fridge in a paper bag – even if they dry out, you can use them for soups.
Sunflower / MicroMix Microgreens - If you’re not familiar with microgreens, you are in for a surprise! These are grown in soil, not sprouted in water. The sunflower has a mild, nutty flavor, is juicy and crunchy, while the MicroMix is spicier, and does not store as long as the sunflower.
Carrots – Our 2nd harvest of carrots for this winter. They are so sweet and tender, there is never enough to satisfy the demand.
Tatsoi - This very mild Asian green is versatile. We use it raw in our salad mix, but lightly sautéed, steamed, stir-fried is also delicious.
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. Yummy!
Arugula- For some this is a ‘love it or hate it’ flavor. Known for its peppery flavor, it’s a great addition to a salad, or in a stir-fry with mushrooms or other veggies.
Sweet Potatoes - These sweet nuggets store for a long time in a warm, dark and dry place. Baked and mashed are just 2 ways to use them – and don’t forget Sweet Potato Pie! 

THE COMBO CORNER

The apples from Cherry Orchard are Yellow Delicious. This apple is an excellent for eating, but is also very good in salads, pies and for making applesauce.
The bread from The Village Bakery and Café is Italian Wheat--mixed whole and unbleached wheat flours, with some extra virgin olive oil, which really comes through when this bread is toasted.
The cheese from Integration Acres is Goat Gouda, a wax-covered raw milk cheese that has been aged over six months - For a twist on the typical grilled cheese sandwich, use the goat Gouda and include thin slices of crispy apples.

PICKUP CONTACT NUMBERS & HOURS

BEXLEY NATURAL MARKET 614-252-3951 (3-8pm)
CLINTONVILLE COMMUNITY MARKET  614-261-3663 (11am-8pm)
DUBLIN TREK BICYCLE 614-791- 8735 (3-7pm)
HILLIARD POWERSHACK 614-506-3086 (4-7pm)
NEW ALBANY  614-216-9370 (12-8pm)
TIBET  614-784-8124 (11am-7pm)
 
ATHENS COMMUNITY CENTER 740-592-3325 (2-8pm)
BELPRE 304-488-3620 (3-6pm)
HARMONY CHIROPRACTIC 740-592-4631 (4-7pm)
HYACINTH BEAN FLORIST 740-594-9302 (12-6pm)
OHIO UNIVERSITY - HR CENTER 330-284-5510 (4-6pm)

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!

RECIPES

Japanese Kale Salad with Shiitake Mushrooms
Recipe by Steven Petusevsky

This delicious and healthy salad stars kale and mushrooms and is dressed with a light tamari dressing. Tamari Dressing: ¼ cup tamari 2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar 2 tablespoons canola oil

Kale Salad: 1 cup packed dry arame*-- Water 2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil 2 teaspoons canola oil ½ pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and caps sliced 6 to 8 cups chopped kale (2 bunches) 1 cup grated carrots ½ cup grated daikon radish 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Instructions: To make dressing: In a nonreactive bowl, combine all ingredients well; set aside.

To make salad: Cover arame with 2 cups boiling water and let soak 30 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Mean-while, heat oils over high heat in a small sauté pan or skillet. Add shiitake mushrooms and sauté until golden; set aside to cool.

In a covered pot place a steamer basket over ¼ cup water. Add kale and steam 3 minutes until bright green. (Alternatively you can steam it in microwave.) Drain and plunge kale into ice-water bath to stop cooking. Gently squeeze water out of kale and fluff it in a nonreactive bowl.

Add arame, carrots, radish, mushrooms and sesame seeds. Just before serving, toss with dressing.

*Arame is a mild-flavored sea vegetable available in natural food stores. To toast sesame seeds: Place in a dry skillet over medium heat and cook, shaking pan periodically, until golden.

Recipe adapted from The Whole Foods Market Cookbook (Potter, 2002) by Steve Petusevsky ~ found on www.relish.com 
 
SALAD DRESSING - Many years ago, a friend wrote down her recipe for blue cheese dressing. I have used that basic recipe as a guide for the ratio of oil to vinegar in all of my dressing creations since. This basic recipe included below mirrors that ratio of 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar.

ITALIAN DRESSING 
~from www.food.com 
 Ingredients:
3/4 cup vegetable oil 
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons water 
1 teaspoon minced garlic 
2 teaspoons sugar 
1 ½ teaspoons salt 
¼ teaspoon pepper 
1 teaspoon grated parmesan cheese 
Directions: 
1.) Combine all ingredients in a bottle. 2.) Shake to blend. 3.) Allow flavors to blend about an hour or so; it will even be more flavorful the following day. Be sure to refrigerate any leftovers, if using the cheese. 4.) Makes about 1 cup.

BALSAMIC HONEY MUSTARD DRESSING 
~from www.food.com 
 Ingredients:
4 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard or 4 tablespoons stone ground mustard 
12 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, to taste 
4 whole peppercorns, optional 
Directions: 
1.) Blend the honey and mustard in a small bowl with a fork until emulsified. 2.) Drizzle in the balsamic vinegar until dressing is just thin enough to pour over salad. 3.) Taste and add more vinegar if desired. 4.) Crush the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder. 5.) Mix in dressing and drizzle on salad.

BAKED SWEET POTATO CHIPS 
from HomeMakingMom.com
 
Ingredients: Sweet Potatoes + Olive Oil + Sea Salt
Directions: 
1.) Preheat the oven to 400oF. 2.) Place thinly sliced sweet potatoes (approximately 1/8”) on the baking sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil. It is important to slice them thin, so that the chips will get nice and crispy while baking. 3.) Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes (flipping the slices over once midway through the baking time). 4.) Sprinkle with salt immediately after taking them out of the oven. In my opinion, the sweet potato chips are best when served hot.

Shiitake and Arugula Ravioli 
from www.norecipes.com, makes 18 raviolis
 
For the dough:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil 
For the filling:
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup minced shallots
1 clove garlic minced
½ -3/4 cup fresh shiitake mush rooms, roughly chopped
3 packed cups arugula
3 tablespoons marscapone
3 tablespoons ricotta
2 teaspoons tahini
½ teaspoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup water chestnuts, rinsed and thoroughly dried 
For the raviolis:
1 egg
1 tablespoon of water 
For the balsamic reduction:
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon demi-glace

Put the flour and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk together. Add the olive oil and eggs and mix together until it comes together into a ball. Attach the bowl to a mixer fitted with a dough hook and knead until the dough is smooth and satiny. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest while you make the filling.

Blanch the arugula by putting it in a glass container, adding about a tablespoon of water, covering with another glass plate, and microwaving for 1 minute. Remove the lid, let it cool enough to handle, then squeeze as much moisture out of it as you can.

Heat a small sauté pan and add the olive oil. Sauté the shallots, garlic and shiitake mushrooms until the mushrooms have given up most of their moisture (about 10-15 minutes). Let this mixture cool down to room temperature.

Add the arugula, onion mixture, marscapone, ricotta, tahini, soy sauce and salt to a food processor and process until smooth. Add the water chestnuts and pulse a few times to roughly chop them up (there should still be chunks). Prepare an egg wash by whisking together an egg with 1 tablespoon of water.

Heat the balsamic vinegar, honey and demi-glace in your smallest sauce pan. Once the demi-glace has dissolved and the mixture is thick and bubbly, it’s ready (this shouldn’t take long). I poured the mixture into a mini squeeze bottle to make the dots, but you can also just pour a bit on the plate and smear it with a spoon, or just drizzle it on top of the raviolis.

Cut off a quarter of the dough and flatten it out on a floured surface using your hands or a rolling pin, then pass it through the rollers of a pasta maker starting from the thickest setting and working your way down to a thinnest, passing the dough through at least 2 times per setting. If the dough starts to stick, just dust some flour on it. Lay the dough out on a long flat floured surface then repeat with another quarter of dough.

When your second sheet is done, line the sheets up and trim off the ends so they are exactly the same length. Place 1 tablespoon of filling a few inches apart, leaving room around the edges of the dough so you can seal the raviolis. Be careful not to overcrowd the dough or you’ll have a hard time sealing the raviolis properly. Use a pastry brush to paint the egg wash all around the filling. Drape the other piece of dough over the first piece and use your fingers to start sealing each ravioli starting from one end. It’s crucial that there aren’t any air pockets with the filling as the air will expand while cooking and your ravioli will burst. The best way to do this is to seal one side, then use two fingers to trace the outline of the filling starting from the side that’s sealed, then seal off the other side, and you should be good.

I used a round cookie cutter that’s 1/4″ bigger than the filling mound on both sides, but you can also cut your ravioli with a knife. If you are freezing the ravioli, place them on a floured cookie sheet and freeze them. Once they are frozen you can put them in a Ziploc bag, but they will stick together if you don’t freeze them separately first. To cook the ravioli, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, then turn down the heat to maintain a gentle boil. If you have a very large pot you can cook all 18 at the same time, but I just cooked them in two batches. Drop the raviolis in and then they float to the surface they are done (this won’t take very long). Drain the ravioli and transfer them to a bowl. Drizzle with sesame oil, add a handful of arugula, and sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Serve the ravioli with the balsamic vinegar reduction. Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds and chives on top to garnish.

Beet and Goat Cheese Arugula Salad 
from www.foodnetwork.com

Ingredients: 
¼ cup balsamic vinegar 
3 tablespoons shallots, thinly sliced 
1 tablespoon honey 
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
6 medium beets, cooked and quartered 
6 cups fresh arugula 
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped
¼ C. dried cranberries or dried cherries 
1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cubed 
3 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled

Directions: 
~Line a baking sheet with foil. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. ~Whisk the vinegar, shallots, and honey in a medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with salt and pepper. Toss the beets in a small bowl with enough dressing to coat. Place the beets on the prepared baking sheet and roast until the beets are slightly caramelized, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Set aside and cool. ~Toss the arugula, walnuts, and cranberries in a large bowl with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper. Mound the salad atop 4 plates. Arrange the beets around the salad. Sprinkle with the avocado and goat cheese, and serve.

Sesame-Ginger Tatsoi
recipe by: Alice Brunk on www.papaspuds.com

Ingredients:
½ lbs Tatsoi, washed and dried
¼ cup soy sauce
1 TBS sesame oil
2 tsp fresh minced ginger
1 TBS sugar
1/8 cup white vinegar
2 dashes Tabasco
2 heaping Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Directions:
Boil water and quickly blanch Tatsoi. It works best to place uncooked Tatsoi in a wire colander and dip the colander with Tatsoi into the boiling water for 30-60 seconds. Remove and plunge into ice cold water to stop cooking process. Drain Tatsoi and place in refrigerator. While Tatsoi is chilling, mix dressing ingredients: soy sauce, sesame oil, minced ginger, sugar, white vinegar, Tabasco, and sesame seed. Mix Tatsoi and dressing mixture in bowl and serve. Can be made ahead and chilled for several hours before your serve.