Week 7 Newsletter, Winter 2013

 ATHENS HILLS CSA

The brain knows it is January, but the rest of the body is very sure it must be April. That is, at least until Wednesday night when the weather folks are predicting a 50 degree plummet in the temperatures from morning until evening. Such drastic changes keep all of us hopping here at Green Edge. For the most part, the crew is attempting to keep up with the weeding the greenhouses. 

On Thursday, the 21st of February, with support from Rural Action, we are hosting another Season Creation Workshop. We could not accommodate all of the folks who wanted to come in January, so we’re repeating ourselves. The session includes an in-depth tour of the greenhouses, lunch, and an afternoon session of slides, questions, and discussions. The fee is $25.00 per person that covers the lunch and the materials participants will receive. Please let those you know who would be interested. There are only a few spaces still available. 

This week, on your public television station, Our Ohio is airing a segment filmed right here at Green Edge. Since every PBS station carries this show at a different time, it has been difficult to know when to tell our friends, families, and members when to tune in for the show. But the production company told us that it would be available on YouTube after this week of regular airings. The neighbors up the road saw it Monday night. They don’t want to move, so it must have been okay. We’ll include a live link as soon as we find it. 

Kip spent most of Tuesday sitting in the truck repair shop waiting for them to fix the switches on the refrigeration unit of the delivery truck. Fortunately, he had his 500 page copy of the new Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption, and judging from the highlighting, the tome is now half-read. He plans to attend OEFFA’s Pre-Conference Workshop that is a day of discussions and questions concerning how this new part of the Food Safety Modernization Act will affect our fellow growers and us. As said before, we will let you know what we learn when we know it. Oh yeah, and the truck is now fixed. Have a great week!

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

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 - Some will receive shiitake and some will receive our oyster mushrooms.
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.
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.
Swiss Chard – This is the mildest flavored of all the winter greens. Just last night we included it in a lovely omelet with shiitake mushrooms and cheese.
Beets - Some years we are very unhappy about the germination rate - not so this year. These beets are Lutz ‘Winter-keepers’ and they are tasty.
Butternut squash – This flavor is somewhere between a sweet potato and a pumpkin. Bake whole or cut up and use in a recipe. Store in a cool and dry place.

THE COMBO CORNER

The apples from Cherry Orchard are Mutzu, a yellow-green Japanese variety good for cooking and eating, and Melrose. They both are excellent for eating and baking.

The bread from The Village Bakery and Café is a French Galette.

The cheese from Integration Acres is a 4-oz disc of chèvre (pasteurized goat's milk cheese). It has been rolled in kosher salt and a blend of Herbes de Provence (rosemary, thyme, savory, fennel seeds, basil, lavender, and marjoram).

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!
Don’t forget your bags!

RECIPES

Beets with Chevre – a recipe from Michelle at Integration Acres:

Ingredients: 
1 large bunch red beets (about 2 pounds) 
1/4 cup olive oil 
1/2 tsp kosher salt 
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper 
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar 
1 orange, peeled and sectioned 
1/2 cup crumbled fresh chèvre (about 2 ounces)

Directions: 
~Heat oven to 375ºF. 
~Peel beets, cut into chunks, and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. 
~Cover in foil, and roast until tender. 
~Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. 
~Mix beets with another drizzle of olive oil and vinegar. Combine beets with the orange. 
~Top with crumbled fresh chèvre.

Winter Kielbasa Stew
A MEMBER CONTRIBUTION, THANKS!
Ingredients:
4-5 cups Kale- Chopped
2 Large Sweet Potatoes- Cubed
1 1/2 cups Carrots- Sliced
1 lb Fully Cooked Kielbasa
1/2 tsp Basil- dried
1/2 tsp Thyme- dried
1/2 tsp Ground Pepper
32 oz Chicken Stock (or Veggie)- unsalted
Directions:
1) In a stock pot, combine the Kale, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, and Kielbasa.
2) Add the Basil, Thyme, and Ground Pepper.
3) Add the Chicken Stock (or Veg gie) and stir to combine
4) After bringing to a boil, cook on low heat for 1 hr or until potatoes are tender.
Now, you could fix this in a slow cooker and cook it on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours. I would not recommend much longer than that though because the sweet potatoes will get all mushy.
I fixed this last night when the kids were going to bed with the intention of having it to eat this week. It makes about 8 cups, so I am counting that as 8 servings since it is easy to measure.
It was certainly delicious. The little bit of spice from the kielbasa and kale was nicely balanced by the sweetness of the carrots and sweet potatoes. It was quick and easy to make. And I have already had some for lunch today. Best of all, I was able to use the Carrots, Kale, and Sweet Potatoes from my CSA share, which really helped me use up my kale before it deteriorated. Enjoy! Thanks so much for sharing this quick and simple idea! It sounds delicious! 

Chard, Arugula, and Feta Soup
from: www.werenotmartha.com (serves 2)

Ingredients:
2 T olive oil 
1 C chopped onion 
2 cloves garlic, minced 
5 C Swiss chard leaves (ribs and stems removed) 
3 C arugula leaves
2 C vegetable or chicken broth 
1 C coarsely chopped parsley 
1/4 C chopped mint leaves 
2 T fresh lemon juice 
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 
1/3 C plain Greek yogurt 
 2-3 oz. feta, crumbled

Directions:
Start by pouring the olive oil into a large saucepan over medium heat. Add your onion and garlic in and cook for about 7-8 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add chard, arugula, broth, parsley, mint. Bring this mixture to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the greens are tender. Stir in the lemon juice and salt and pepper.

Puree the soup. You can either puree in batches in a blender and then return it to the pot or you can use an immersion blender right in the pot. I’m sure the soup would be delicious like this, but you really love a soup to be nice and creamy, right? But without adding cream, of course. You’ll want to take about 1/3 of your Greek yogurt and put it in a separate bowl. Now, add about 1/4 C warm soup to it and whisk until smooth. Repeat this twice with the rest of the yogurt and another 1/2 C soup.

And then return the yogurt and soup mixture to the soup pot. Stir almost all of the feta into the soup, saving a little for garnish.

I think this could work just as well with any leafy green you happen to have a surplus of. I know I’ll be making different variations of it again. And now you know what to do when your CSA overloads you with too much chard, arugula, etc. Never a bad problem to have!

Beet Risotto with Greens, Goat Cheese and Walnuts
from www.myrecipes.com, taken from Cooking Light, December 2002

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil 
1 cup chopped onion 
1 cup Arborio rice 
1 Tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger 
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary 
½ cup dry white wine 
 3 cups finely chopped peeled beets 
½ cup water 
¼ tsp. fine sea salt 
1 can (14.5 oz) vegetable broth 
6 cups finely chopped Swiss chard 
½ (2 oz) goat cheese, crumbled 
¼ cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Directions:
In a Dutch oven, heat and toast the walnuts until fragrant. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add rice, ginger, and rosemary; sauté 1 minute. Add wine; cook 3 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly.

Add beets, water, salt, and broth, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until beets are tender, stirring occasionally.

Stir in chard, cook 5 minutes. Add cheese, stirring, until blended. Sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon walnuts.

Harvard Beets
from: allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
3/4 cup white sugar 
4 teaspoons cornstarch 
1/3 cup white vinegar 
1/3 cup water 
2 lbs beets, sliced or cubed 
 3 tablespoons butter 
¼ teaspoon salt 
¼ teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Peel and cook beets until almost tender. In a saucepan, combine sugar, vinegar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the beets to the liquid, and simmer for 30 mins. over low heat. Stir in butter, salt and pepper, and remove from the heat. Serve warm or chilled.