ATHENS HILLS CSA
We hardly know what to do since there has been no rain for three days. (Just joking, of course!) As the ground dries, we anticipate being able to use the cultivator on some of the row crops (instead of hoes). It’s time to weed in the asparagus and rhubarb beds as well as the sweet potatoes which are all in the East Field. And it’s time for the direct seeding of the fall root crops. Happily, the ground will be dry enough to prepare the seed beds.
Along with this dry weather, Kip is preparing to begin the fencing project across the creek in the new field containing the winter squashes and potatoes. Just as he was mowing that area yesterday though, one of the bushhog blades broke completely off from its base. It’s another delay and fortunately, the parts store in town had replacements. It’s never boring here – there’s always a new challenge!
Miranda is very busy creating the spreadsheet for the One-Time Special Orders that we are offering. If you haven’t had an opportunity to look at the list of locally Athens-based products, you are missing a great opportunity to sample some of the best! From soap to chocolate, these goods are amazing! In addition to the spreadsheet, she is also redesigning the CSA brochure. Look for a new format for Winter 2014. (We’ve already had folks asking about signing up, so this work is right on time.) This winter we will be slightly reducing the number of shares offered, so when the Early Enrollment Form comes to you, please don’t hesitate and be closed out of our amazing winter veggies!
Canning tomatoes are available now. They are $27 for 25 lbs. Let us know if you’re interested so we can plan your delivery with the regular CSA delivery. Have a great week!
From all of us at Green Edge,
Becky (Kip, Dan, Mark, Penny, Emily, Michelle, Matt T, Brittany, Josh, Matt C., Natalie, Miranda, and Brook)
THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES
Sunflower / MicroMix Microgreens - Some of you will get our more delicate mix this week, and some will get sunflower. They have a tangy flavor and do not store as long as the sunflower.
Beets – Some sites will receive Beets with tops and the rest beets without tops. Either way, the beets will be delicious.
Parsley – This week the type of parsley is the ‘curly’ variety. This is widely used in tabouleh, but is also delicious with fish, potatoes, or chopped in salad.
Cucumbers - Besides just slicing these with some onion and vinegar, sugar, and oil, cukes are used widely in many cuisines of the world.
Eggplant- We are growing several varieties of eggplant: 2 long, thin Asian varieties, and 2 bell-shaped Mediterranean ones. They have similar flavors, but the Asian ones don’t necessarily need peeled, but can be. They’re great for slicing into chunks and grilling on a skewer.
Onions – The onions this week are from another local organic grower. Alomg with garlic, onions are another crop that our soils don’t allow us to grow.
Mixed Summer Squash – They all cook and taste very much the same. The varieties are zucchini, yellow, and pattypan.
Slicer Tomatoes -This week you are receiving hybrid slicing tomatoes. Remember: No refrigerator until they are cut. Try them with basil and fresh mozzarella!
Cherry Tomatoes – These are a mix of the two varieties we grow: Sungold- little orange tomato candies; and Sweet 100 – little red tomato candies…
THE COMBO CORNER
The fruit share from Cherry Orchard is a bag of sweet yellow peaches great for eating for breakfast, lunch, supper and for snacks. This is the season for fresh peach pie and peach cobbler from your favorite cookbook.
The bread from The Village Bakery and Café is Persian Wheat - oragnic Khorasan (sometimes known as Kamut) whole wheat, organic Artisan white wheat, and fennel.
The cheese from Integration Acres is a very young mild Gouda made from raw goat's milk. This semi-hard cheese is great cut into chunks for a packed lunch or cheese plate.
If you have a fruit share…..
When you receive your share, it is a good idea for you to take all the pieces out of the bag and inspect it. If you find a couple of bruises, don’t fret, but plan to use those first. If you think the fruit is ripening too fast for you to use it – just put it into the refrigerator. This will slow the ripening process, but remember to take it out to warm up to room temperature if it needs to ripen a little more for optimum flavor before you use it.
PICKUP CONTACT NUMBERS & HOURS
BEXLEY MARKET-614-252-3951, 3-8pm CLINTONVILLE COOP – 614-261-3663, 11 am-8 pm
ECOFLORA – 614-266-1618, 12pm-7pm
DUBLIN TREK BICYCLE 614-791- 8735, 3-7 pm
HILLIARD POWERSHACK 614-506-3086, 4-7pm
NEW ALBANY – 614-216-9370, 12-8pm
ATHENS COMMUNITY CENTER - 740-592-3325, 12-8 pm
HYACINTH BEAN – 740-594-9302, 12-6pm
BELPRE 304-488-3620, 3-6 PM
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!
PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO RETURN YOU CLEAN BAG FROM LAST WEEK! THANKS.
RECIPES
Fresh Tomato Pie from: allrecipes.com
Ingredients:
1 9” pie shell
7 ripe tomatoes, sliced
1 yellow onion
¾ cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons fresh basil
2 teaspoons fresh oregano
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Bake the pastry shell for 8 to 10 minutes or until browned.
3. Slice onion and place in the bot- tom of the pastry shell. Slice tomatoes and arrange over onions. Add black pepper to taste.
4. In a medium bowl, combine mozzarella, Parmesan, and mayonnaise. Spread this mixture evenly over tomatoes.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Once cooked, garnish with fresh herbs
How to Caramelize Onions
from www.simplyrecipes.com
Ingredients:
Several medium or large onions, yellow, white, or red
Olive oil Butter
Salt
Sugar (optional)
Directions:
1.) Slice off the root and top ends of the onions, peel the onions. Cut the onions in half. Lay them cut side down and slice the onions lengthwise to desired thickness.
2.) Use a wide, thick-bottomed sauté pan for maximum pan contact with the onions. Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil, or a mixture of olive oil and butter (about 1 tsp per onion). Heat the pan on medium high heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the onion slices and stir to coat the onions with the oil. Spread the onions out evenly over the pan and let look, stirring occasionally. Depending on how strong your stove top burner is you may need to reduce the heat to medium or medium low to prevent the onions from burning or drying out. After 10 minutes, sprinkle some salt over the onions, and if you want, you can add some sugar to help with the caramelization process. One trick to keep the onions from drying out as they cook is to add a little water to the pan.
3.) Let cook for 30 minutes to an hour more, stirring every few minutes. As soon as the onions start sticking to the pan, let them stick a little and brown, but then stir them before they burn. The trick is to let them alone enough to brown (if you stir them too often, they won’t brown), but not so long so that they burn. After the first 20-30 minutes, you may want to lower the stove temperature a little, and add a little more oil, if you find the onions are verging on burning. A metal spatula will help you scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan as the caramelization proceeds. As the onions cook down, you may find the need to scrape the pan every minute. Continue to cook and scrape until the onions are a rich, browned color. At the end of the process you can add a little balsamic vinegar or wine to help deglaze the pan and bring additional flavor to the onions. Store refrigerated for several days in an air-tight container.
Cucumber, Onion, and Parsley Salad
Ingredients:
1 European cucumber (2 medium cucumber, peeled and seeds scraped out)
¼ red onion, finely diced (or more to taste)
½ cup chopped parsley, flat or curly
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
black pepper (fresh ground, to taste)
Directions: 1. Peel cucumber, leaving some strips of green peel if your cucumbers don't have thick skins. Cut into fourths lengthwise and if the cucumber has large seeds, scrape out seeds with the tip of a spoon. Cut pieces into thinner strips and chop cucumbers into pieces less than ½inch square.
2. Dice onion into small pieces. (If you prefer a milder onion flavor, soak the onions in cold water for about 10 minutes, then drain well and pat dry.)
3. Pat Feta cheese dry with a paper towel, then crumble into pieces.
4. Wash parsley and spin dry or dry with paper towels, then chop coarsely.
5. In large bowl, combine cucumbers, onions, and parsley. Whisk together olive oil and lemon juice and stir into vegetable mixture. Sprinkle feta cheese over and stir gently a few times. Season with fresh ground black pepper and serve immediately. This recipe could be varied endless ways, with tomatoes, olives, capers, blue cheese, mint, and balsamic vinegar being a few things that come to mind as possible substitutions or additions.
1 comment:
SO GLAD TO BE GETTING CHERRY TOMATOES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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