Week 13 Newsletter, Winter 2013

ATHENS HILLS CSA

Many thanks to all of our members who have responded to the inquiry for the Summer 2013 season. We’re sorry if it seemed that you were hounded for a reply, but we did need to know….and now we do. 

We are excited to announce that we will begin delivering our CSA to Marietta, in addition to Belpre, from the upcoming summer season. We've had such a great response from members in the area that we will be delivering to a new site, The Cook’s Shoppe on Front Street in downtown Marietta.

When we added Belpre, we realized that this whole area presents new opportunities. So if you have friends in that area, please let them know about your CSA. 

Monday, we welcomed the first of our summer interns. PJ is originally from Hilliard and went to college here in Athens at Ohio University. His experiences (besides college) include food service and landscaping so all of those skills will fit here well. With his arrival, now we know for sure that spring has arrived—admittedly earlier than before. 

Open Farm Day is this Sunday and we hope that you can make it! Great food and an amazing farm tour could make for a nice family outing. The weather forecast is around the mid-40’s and there will be some mud, so please come prepared. The event starts at 1:00pm with a potluck lunch at the Amesville Grange. Then around 2:30, we’ll venture out to the farm (a scant mile away) for the tour of your veggies, mushrooms, and microgreens. The day concludes after the farm tour around 5:00pm. We can’t wait to see you! 

Dan is putting the finishes touches on the annual Organic Inspection Packet. The information gathered and recorded includes seed lists; field histories for each field and greenhouse; logs for pest control, irrigation, truck clean-out and maintenance, compost temperatures; letters from non-organic sources verifying that there are no GMO’s; soil test results; water test results; and inspection of label compliance, just to name a few.

With the sun we had last weekend, the fields were dry enough to pull the disk through and break the sod. I can’t remember the last time we were in the fields this early. 

Have a great week! 

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

THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES

Salad Mix – This mix includes 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 receve 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.
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.
Spinach – We are thrilled to bring you this item again. This wonderful green is so versatile. Use it raw in a salad, or cooked in many different dishes.
Carrots – Another harvest of carrots for this winter. They are so sweet and tender there is never enough to satisfy the demand. Many have written to agree.
Kale - We love it raw, massaged, steamed, in soup, etc.  A complete amino acid score of this food is 92 – that’s with 100 being a complete protein. Seems impressive to me. Saw a recent t-shirt that said, “Kale keeps me alive!”
 

THE COMBO CORNER

The apples from Cherry Orchards are a mix of Granny Smith, Yellow Delicious, Fuji, Melrose, and a new one for us – Criterion. Neil tells us that it is a great apple except that it is a biennial (apples every other year) so despite the quality, it’s one that most smaller orchards quit because there was no way to make money. It’s yellow with a pink blush and pointy end.
The bread from The Village Bakery and Café is Irish Oatmeal Stout in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.
The cheese from Integration Acres is the aged raw goat's milk feta. Made last fall, this feta has soaked in heavy brine for the past several months in the aging room. 

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 ROAD  614-784-8124 (11am-7pm) 
ATHENS COMMUNITY CENTER 740-592-3325 (2-8pm)
BELPRE 304-488-3620 (3-6pm)
HARMONY CHIROPRACTIC 740-592-4631 (3-7pm)
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

MIXED GREENS GALETTE with ONIONS AND CHICKPEAS 

from the New York Times 

Stephen from Columbus writes: “ I thought I'd pass on this recipe which we had tonight. I used CSA spinach, kale, and chard. It was delicious and although it is supposed to serve 8 to 10, my family of three managed to devour three quarters.”

Ingredients:
1 yeasted whole wheat olive oil pastry  

1 large onion 

1 lb. washed, stemmed greens, such as kale, collards, turnip greens and spinach 

Salt to taste 

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 

 2 plump garlic cloves, minced 

Freshly ground pepper 

1 1/2 teaspoons za’atar 

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 

2 eggs 

3 ounces feta 

1 tablespoon egg wash (1 egg beaten w/ 1 tsp milk) for brushing the crust

Directions:

1. Mix together the dough for the crust and set it in a warm spot to rise. Meanwhile prepare the filling. 2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a bowl with cold water. Cut the onion into quarters, cutting from root to stem end, then cut thin slices across the grain. 3. When the water in the pot reaches a boil, salt generously and add the greens. Boil for about 3 minutes, until tender. Use a skimmer to transfer the greens to the bowl of cold water, then drain. Take the greens up by the handful and squeeze out excess water. You can squeeze out the water most effectively if you take up small handfuls. Then coarsely chop Set aside. 4. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide saucepan or a large skillet and add the onions. Cook, stirring often, until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. After the first couple of minutes of cooking add a generous pinch of salt so they don’t brown too quickly or stick to the pan. When the onions are nicely colored and soft add the garlic and continue to cook for another 30 seconds to a minute, until fragrant. Stir in the greens and combine well with the onions. Add the za’atar and taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the chickpeas, taste and adjust seasonings, and set aside. 5. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Crumble in the feta and stir in the greens mixture. Stir well to combine. 6. Dust a large work surface with flour and turn out the dough. Shape into a ball and let rest for 5 minutes. Then roll out into a thin round, 16 to 18 inches in diameter. Line a sheet pan with parchment and place the round in the middle, with the edges overlapping the pan (this will eliminate the need to lift the galette once it is filled). Place the filling in the middle of the rolled out pastry and spread it to a circle, leaving a 3 or 4-inch margin all the way around the pastry. Fold the edges in over the filling, pleating them to cover the filling and drawing them up to the middle of the galette, so that the filling is enclosed. The finished galette should be about 10 to 11 inches in diameter. There can be a small circle of exposed filling in the middle but it shouldn’t be more than an inch in diameter. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 45 minutes to an hour. 7. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the galette from the freezer, brush with egg wash, and place in the oven. Bake 50 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let sit for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Yield: Serves 8 to 10

Advance preparation: The finished tart is delicious at room temperature and will hold out of the refrigerator for several hours. The filling can be made through Step 4 up to four days ahead and kept in the refrigerator. The assembled galette can be frozen for up to a month. Double wrap with plastic wrap before freezing. Transfer directly from the freezer to the oven for baking; increase baking time by 10 to 15 minutes.

Portuguese Chourico and Kale

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3 medium white potatoes, like peeled and diced 2 medium onions, chopped 4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped 2 bay leaves, fresh or dried 1 pound kale, coarsely chopped Coarse salt and pepper 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzos , drained and rinsed 1 can diced tomatoes 1 pound diced chourico, casing removed 1 quart chicken broth Warm, crusty bread

Directions: 

Heat oil in a deep pot over medium high heat. Add potatoes and onions, cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, bay leaves, and kale to the pot. Cover pot and wilt greens 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add beans, tomatoes, chourico, and broth to the pot and bring soup to a full boil. Reduce heat back to medium and cook 5 to 10 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender. Serve soup with hunks of crusty bread and butter.

Remember Massaged Kale? 

Check this video out. It is so informative and takes the raw salad to new heights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykedcGpo1Jk&feature=player_embedded

Sautéed Swiss Chard and Parmesan Cheese 

~from allrecipes.com  

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. butter 

2 Tbsp. olive oil 

1 Tbsp. minced garlic 

½ small red onion, diced 

1 bunch Swiss chard, stems and center ribs cut out and chopped together; leaves coarsely chopped separately 

½ cup dry white wine 

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, or to taste 

2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

 salt to taste

Directions:
Melt butter and olive oil together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and onion, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the chard stems and the white wine. Simmer until the stems begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chard leaves, and cook until wilted. Finally, stir in lemon juice and Parmesan cheese; season to taste with salt if needed.