ATHENS HILLS CSA
Great big bunches of kudos go to Rob this week. Single-handedly, he spent most of his work time Sunday shoveling the driveways making it possible for the farm trucks to get from the barnyard to the fields on Monday! Great job, Rob! More thank-you’s go to Laurel for the extra effort she made on last Thursday, and to our fearless township truck driver. The garage is just down the road. That means our access to the main road is the first one plowed. We’re so grateful for this.Last week, the PBS/Ohio Farm Bureau program Our Ohio, aired a segment about our winter growing techniques and our winter CSA. Unfortunately, there is still no link to the YouTube page where you can watch it for yourself. Since we are without cable, we haven’t seen it yet either, but several folks who have seen it, were very complimentary.
Kip continues the monumental task of reading the produce part of the Food Safety Modernization Act. He’s not quite halfway through it. If you are interested in reading it for yourself, let us know and we will happily send you a link.
Miranda is mostly finished with the updates for the Summer 2013 brochure and we will be sending it your way soon. Once again, we are increasing our available number of shares from 150 last summer to 175, and still hope to be full before the season begins. In addition to these CSA responsibilities, she is also compiling information for the packets that will be a part of our on-going series of workshops with the topic of season creation in unheated greenhouses.
The crew continues tending, weeding, and fertilizing – all of this so that harvest is quick and efficient. In addition to this maintenance, direct seeding and transplanting is also taking place to assure the quantities that will be needed by March and April. Really, it’s never boring. Tasks change every week, and there are always more. 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, 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 - All sites are receiving shiitakes this week.
Sunflower Microgreens -These are grown in soil, which imparts additional nutrients into the tasty greens. These have a mild, almost nutty flavor and are juicy and crunchy.
Butternut Squash – These squashes store for a long time so don’t feel pressured to use immediately. There’s a member recipe on page 2 using shiitakes and butternut. Check it out!
Beets- We hope you love them! High in vitamins and minerals. Notes on page 2 for peeling or ‘slipping the skins.’
Pac Choy - Another of our mild Asian greens, this variety is called Vitamin Green, which tells you what it does for your body! Can be eaten raw, steamed, sautéed, or stir-fried. The stalks hold water, so they are a refreshing snack raw. The stems can be cooked too, and will take slightly longer than the leaves.
Kale - We love it raw, massaged, steamed, in soup, etc., etc. A complete amino acid score of this food is 92 – that’s with 100 being a complete protein!
Swiss Chard – We’re glad to have this favorite back this week. The mild flavor of chard makes it the all around choice for most customers. It’s the only green that grows well in winter and summer.
THE COMBO CORNER
The apples from Cherry Orchard are half Yellow Delicious and half Fuji. The appearance of the Fuji is not as smooth as usual due to fall weather conditions, but this has not affected their eating qualities. They are very sweet and crisp. The bread from The Village Bakery and Café is Ukrainian Rye.
The cheese from Integration Acres is Caprino Romano, a hard, salty cheese suitable for grating and crumbling. The name of the cheese derives from the Italian word for goat-capra. This raw goat's milk Romano is aged for a minimum of 5 months, and this batch is over 7 months old. Try it as an alternative to Parmesan on pasta, soups and salads.
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
Butternut Squash and Shiitake Mushroom Wild Rice Risotto
from allrecipes.com
This recipe was posted on our Facebook page and it sounds delicious. “Here's a yummy recipe using butternut squash and Shitake's!. I used most of a week's worth of shitakes for this and used the broth I made from shitake stems in lieu of the reserve water from soaking dried mushrooms. I also used Feta since I didn't have gorganzola.” Thanks Kate for sending us a recipe that worked so well!
Ingredients:
3 oz. dried shiitake
4 Cups water
4 Cups cubed butternut squash
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 Cups vegetable stock
3 Tablespoons butter
1 Large onion, finely chopped
1 Cup wild rice
2 Cups of Arborio rice
1 Cup dry white wine
1 (4 ounce) container crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
salt and ground black pepper to taste
½ Cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions:
1. Combine the shiitake mushrooms and water in a bowl, assuring the mushrooms are covered with water; allow to soak until the mushrooms have softened, about 30 minutes. Drain and reserve the liquid for later use. (This is the step that Katie skipped by using fresh mushrooms and stem water.)
2. Preheat oven to 375 F. (190C)
3. Toss the butternut squash, olive oil, and maple syrup together in a bowl until the squash is evenly coated. Spread on a baking sheet.
4. Roast the squash in the preheated oven until tender yet retains its shape, about 30 minutes; set aside.
5. Bring the vegetable stock and reserved liquid from the mushrooms to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat.
6. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat; when the butter begins to foam, stir the onion into the butter and cook until the onions are soft and golden, 5-7 mins. Stir the wild rice and the Arborio rice through the onions until evenly mixed and coated. Add the white wine and mushrooms to the onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has been absorbed, 7-10 minutes.
7. Pour enough of the simmering stock mixture into the skillet to cover the rice; cook and stir until the liquid is nearly completely absorbed. Continue adding stock about ¾ cups at a time, allowing each batch to absorb into the mixture before adding the next. Cook and stir until the rice is tender, about 35 mins. total. Add the butternut squash; cook until the squash is hot, 2-3 mins. Reduce heat to low. Quickly stir the Gorgonzola cheese and parsley into the mixture until the risotto is moist and creamy; remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper; serve immediately.
Pac Choy Stir-Fry
from PetesGreens.com/recipes (Serves 2 or 3.)
Ingredients:
2 Tbl. vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 scallions, chopped white and green parts
1 head of Pac Choi, stalks and leaves, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 large carrot, peeled and julienned
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 (2 inch) piece of peeled, fresh ginger
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar
½ Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
Directions:
In a large sauce pan, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat until hot. Toss in onion and garlic, stirring with a wooden spoon or tongs, for 2 minutes. Do not let them burn. Add the vegetables, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper and stir for another minute until the vegetables are slightly wilted. Sprinkle on the sesame oil and sesame seeds and serve over hot, steamed rice.
Variations: Try adding protein like beef, fish or tofu before adding the vegetables. Even a couple of beaten eggs will do nicely in a dish like this. Cashews or peanuts are tasty when tossed in after cooking, and you can always vary the sauce with something store bought like a jarred plum sauce or Thai-style peanut sauce.
ALL THINGS BEET…..
With beets, peeling is done after the cooking. My mom always called it ‘slipping the skins’. Cool the cooked beet so that it can be held in the hand. Then you just squeeze a little and the skin will slip right off. Beets can be cooked a number of ways, steaming, baking, boiling or blanching. Boiling is probably the fastest method, but you can lose some of the color and flavor. Steaming works well also, but make sure you have enough water in the pan. A 2-3” beet will steam in 15-20 minutes. Baking results in less loss of color than any method. Many cooks however, prefer to use them raw and grated for salads and garnishes.
BEETS AND ORANGE SALAD - Slice cooked beets and combine with orange sections and minced scallions. Use a honey and curry dressing.
BEETS AND APPLE SALAD - Dice cooked beets and combine with diced apples in a vinaigrette dressing or that honey and curry one.
HONEY AND CURRY DRESSING – Whisk together 2/3 cup of salad oil, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons white vinegar, ¼ cup honey, 1 teaspoon curry powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Pour over salads. Yield about 1 ½ cups.
LEFTOVER BEETS can be made into a wonderful dip for raw vegetables. Puree the cooked beets in a food processor. For every cup of puree, add 8 ounces of cream cheese (softened), 1 teaspoon horseradish, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons minced red onion, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1 table- spoon grated orange rind. Mix it all together in a food processor and chill well before serving.
Just another reminder to bring last share’s bag with you when you pick up this week’s goodies (Just the cloth bags, please!) Thanks!
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