Week 3 Newsletter, WInter 2014

ATHENS HILLS CSA

The holidays are fast approaching and we wish you all a safe, restful, and happy holiday season. At the farm, we are looking forward to two weeks without the rigorous harvest schedule that is required when filling 170 weekly shares. And given the early bout of cold temperatures, the plants will benefit from the absence of the harvest scissors.  

Last Thursday, around 20 folks joined us for another Season Creation Workshop to learn about our system of growing veggies in the winter without heating the houses. We have two more scheduled in January of 2014. If you are interested in learning about this and can educate others about this process, these workshops are for you. The goal is to train the trainers to be able to explain and show aspects of our systems to the people in their areas who also want to grow their business. Just let us know if you or someone you know is interested. 

As it is the end of the year, all of us have additional duties. Dan and Matt are conferring about seeds for the coming season; Becky is working on end-of-year numbers and the budget for next year. Miranda is working on the documents to comply with the SARE grant. Kip, Josh, and Mark are working on the next projects that will improve the infrastructures. Emily is developing a plan and strategy for cut flowers. Andy is working on improving our technologies. Natalie continues to manage the storage crops and plan for managing more ginger. Everybody is working to keep the plants and their staff, happy and healthy now and in the future. 

As mentioned above, we’re about to take two weeks away from CSA deliveries. By doing this we can give both members and staff the freedom to travel, or to attend to the many holidays tasks that seem to multiply the closer we get to the day of celebration. We hope you will find peace and rest as we enter the dark time of the year. To Kip’s mind, with the upcoming winter solstice right around the corner, summer is about to begin as the days start to lengthen. Have a great week!

From all of us at Green Edge,

Becky (Kip, Dan, Mark, Emily, Matt T, Natalie, Miranda, Paula, Andy, Josh, and Kristina)

THIS WEEK’S VEGGIES

Salad Mix – Our fall/winter salad mix is a blend of 10 varieties of lettuces plus the mild-tasting Asian greens tatsoi, pe-tsai, and mizuna. This mix is best stored in an air-tight container with some paper towel or cloth to absorb any moisture.

Mushrooms - Shiitake for some, and oyster for the rest. Make the most of these items: First, store them in a paper bag in the crisper drawer of the fridge. Don’t throw the stems away – instead simmer them in a saucepan of salted water for about 1- 1½ hours, strain the broth, and store in the freezer for soup or rice broth. Yum-yum!

Sunflower / MicroMix Microgreens - Microgreens differ from sprouts because ‘micros’ are grown in soil. They are incredibly nutrient-dense, as well as being tasty! Use in a wrap or atop a salad or pizza.

Carrots - Winter carrots are so much sweeter than ones from the summer! Taste one and compare. Steam, boil, roast, or eat them raw as finger foods or grated in salad.

Sweet Potatoes - Curing these after harvest for several weeks in a warm place helps ‘set the sugars’ and store for longer periods. Because these were harvested with a plow, you might see that some have been cut and healed on an end. This doesn't affect the quality or flavor.

Kale – Kale has become our most sought-after green. The amazing nutrient content only increases its appeal. Use it raw, steamed, in soups, or oven-roasted into chips as just a start for its many uses.

Swiss Chard – This website that has amazing information about the nutrient qualities of chard – like, it’s second only to spinach for nutrient richness! http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=16 Some benefits include blood sugar regulation, anti-inflammatory benefits, and bone health to name a few.

The Combo Corner

The apple share from Cherry Orchard includes three good eating apples: Cameo, Red Delicious, and Yellow Delicious. Yellow Delicious and Cameo are also excellent cooking and baking apples

The bread from The Village Bakery and Café is Italian Wheat.

The cheese from Integration Acres this week is Alexander Tomme. 

 PICKUP CONTACT NUMBERS & HOURS

NEW ALBANY – 614-216-9369 12-8pm

BEXLEY MARKET-614-252-3951 3-8pm

HILLIARD POWERSHACK 614-506-3086 4-7pm

CLINTONVILLE COOP – 614-261-3663 11 am-8 pm

ECO-FLORA – 614-266-1618 12pm-7pm

DUBLIN TREK BICYCLE 614-791- 8735 3-7 pm

HYACINTH BEAN – 740-594-9302 12-6pm

ATHENS COMMUNITY CENTER - 740-592-3325 12-8 pm

BELPRE 304-488-3620 3-6 PM

OU-HR 4-6 PM no phone number

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

Baked Sweet Potato Chips  

http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeid=50409

1 large uncooked sweet potato(es), peeled 2 tsp. vegetable oil 1/8 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 400^oF. Spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.

Thinly slice potatoes in a food po\processor or by hand; they should be no more that 1/8” thick.

Arrange slices on baking sheets so they don’t overlap. Brush with oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake chips until they begin to lightly brown, about 15 minutes. Cool on a rack and serve.

ROASTED SWEET POTATO WITH TAHINI KALE SLAW 

 http://lollipopsicle.net/2013/09/01/roasted-sweet-potato-with-tahini-kale-slaw/

Miranda made this the other day and found it to be delicious and easy to fix. (And CHIP-approved!)

SLAW: 1 bunch of kale stemmed and chopped. Rinse and stem kale, chop, and place in a bowl, crush the leaves until they turn bright green and shrink in size. Top with dressing. (Some folks drizzle a little oil and salt on the kale before crushing.)

DRESSING: ¼ cup tahini ¼ cup water ¼ cup apple cider vinegar 1 clove garlic, smashed 2 Tbsp Bragg’s liquid aminos ¼ cup nutritional yeast

In a blender combine all ingredients until smooth, if you don’t have a blender you can hand mix it, just make sure your grlic is minced very small.

Top the kale with roasted sweet potatoes and serve.

Green Lentil Curry with Swiss Chard, Broccoli and Carrots 

 http://www.denisonfarm.com/recipes/b/green-lentil-curry-with-swiss-chard,-broccoli-and-carrots

Ingredients: 

1 cup green lentils 

1 cup French green lentils 

1 teaspoon turmeric 

3½ cups chicken or vegetable broth 

2 cups water 

 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided) 

1 large onion 

 2 cups chopped carrots 

1 (14.5 oz) can organic fire roasted tomatoes or cooked fresh tomatoes 

2 to 4 teaspoons finely grated ginger 

4 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste  

3 teaspoons ground coriander 

2 teaspoon ground cumin 

1 teaspoon cumin seeds 

1 medium to large shallot, minced 

1 tablespoon tomato paste mixed with 1 tablespoon of water 

1 medium bunch Broccoli 

1 large bunch Swiss Chard (chop both chard leaf and stem) 1 cup finely chopped cilantro ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper and Salt

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine the lentils with the turmeric, broth and water; bring to a boil. Cover partially and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, until the lentils are barely tender. Meanwhile, sauté onion and carrot in 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat in a sauté pan. In a small bowl, combine the ginger, garlic, coriander and ground cumin. Stir in 1/4 cup of water to make a paste. In a small skillet, heat 3 tbsp oil until shimmering. Add the cumin seeds and cook over moderately high heat for 5 seconds, just until sizzling. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the spice paste and let cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until thick, about 1 minute longer. Add broccoli, swiss chard, onion-carrot mixture, canned tomatoes, three-fourths of the cilantro and the cayenne to lentils and season with salt. Cook until the lentils and vegetables are tender, 15 minutes. Scrape in the spice paste and the remaining cilantro. Simmer for 5 minutes, then serve. Serve with basmati rice, warm flatbread and plain yogurt or sour cream.

white bean and kale soup 

 http://www.thecurvycarrot.com/2012/10/17/white-bean-and-kale-soup/

Ingredients: 1-2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil 3 stalks celery, chopped ½ cup carrots, chopped (about 1-2 me dium carrots) 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 4 cups water 4 cups vegetable broth 5-6 red potatoes, chopped (I leave the skins on!) Two 15-ounce cans cannellini beans (white kidney beans), or 5 cups fresh cooked beans One large bunch kale any type- deveined and torn into pieces ¼ cup heavy cream, optional Salt and pepper, to taste.

Instructions

1. In a sauté pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil until shimmering.

2. Add the celery, carrots, and onion, and cook, until the onions are softened, about 4-5 minutes or so.

3. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for another minute or so.  Remove from heat and set aside.

4. Meanwhile, in a large saucepot over medium-high heat, bring the water and the vegetable broth to a boil.

5. Add the cooked vegetables and the potatoes to the boiling water/broth mixture.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 20-30 minutes (or until the potatoes are cooked through).

6. Add the beans, kale, and the cream (if using) and cook, stirring frequently, until completely heated through and the kale is wilted, about 10-15 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 You can find many variations of this recipe, many including sausage or other meats.