CSA stands for
Community Supported Agriculture. The name sounds kind of bland or generic, but
actually it has tremendous impact on your health and our financial security.
There are many layers of benefits created by the relationship we have with you.
The concept of
CSA originated out of the need for small diversified farms like ours to
stabilize the marketing structure. As farmers, our entire production system is
based around the predictability of weather patterns. It can be a double whammy
when we load up the truck and trailer for the farmers market, only to have it
rain and much goes unsold since customers decide not to venture out. With your
agreement to get your veggies from us every week through CSA, it insulates our
marketing plan from the vagaries of the weather. We can usually make
adjustments to the impact of bad weather at the farm level, but if the markets
do not support our efforts, it can be demoralizing.
First there is
the financial agreement. With your commitment of support by pre-paying for this
season’s offering of farm fresh produce, we are able to invest in
infrastructure improvements like the germination room and needed field
equipment as discussed in previous posts. These investments improve our
efficiency and help us achieve higher quality food for you. An item like a
specialized seeder is difficult for a lending institution to provide a loan on
to folks like us, as it is so far outside the norm of traditional agricultural
lending policy. For that matter, crop insurance is either not available or the
terms are ridiculous since organic production is considered risky as we are
refusing to use chemical inputs like ‘good’ farmers do.
Another big
benefit is that your investment helps us to cash flow many expenses to ramp up
production as the growing season begins. Although we use considerable less off
farm inputs than conventional farmers, the hundreds of varieties of seeds and
plants we purchase are pricey, though we are glad to support other organic
farmers that produce them. Additionally, the greenhouse heat, potting mix,
tractor fuel, and labor costs add up fast, especially when there is little to
sell early in the season. Our field
crew has already spent a lot of time in the fields tending the young crops,
long before there is anything to harvest for sale.
Knowing we
have a large volume of produce to harvest and deliver increases our efficiency
while picking and packing your items for you. With more plants of each variety
planted to meet the demand of CSA shares, we can secure the highest quality
product for your share. With a predictable amount of numerous produce items to
be harvested each day, we have been able to design systems of tubs, sinks, and
packing systems that are efficient and considerate of the type of work we do
each day.
The
conversations we have with you are an important part of the CSA relationship.
The positive feedback about how tasty and vibrant the items are goes a long way
in motivating us to work as hard as necessary to produce for you. The recipes
you share, the stories of dinner conversations you have with your guests that
are marveling over the flavor, and the questions about foods or vegetable
varieties you have seen in your travels or growing up all help form the
Community Support part of this type of Agriculture.
In Your Share
Garlic Scapes
Kohlrabi
Green Leaf or Red Leaf Lettuce
Spinach
Sugar Snap Peas
Purple Top White Turnips
Radishes
Strawberries
Recipes to Enjoy
Wilted
Spinach Salad with Warm Feta Dressing
9-ounces fresh spinach leaves
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium red onion, halved, cut into
1/3-inch-thick wedges
1 7-ounce package feta cheese, coarsely
crumbled
2 tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar
Place spinach in large bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons
oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add onion; sauté until brown and
softened, about 7 minutes. Transfer to bowl with spinach; remove skillet from
heat. Add remaining 3 tablespoons oil and cheese to skillet. Stir to melt
cheese slightly, about 1 minute. Stir in vinegar. Season to taste with salt and
pepper. Pour over spinach; toss to coat and wilt slightly.
'Carpaccio'
of Kohlrabi with Radishes and Blue Cheese
2 small, young kohlrabi
6 young radishes
4 Tbsp (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
4 tsp (20 ml) white wine vinegar, or white balsamic vinegar
a pinch of Hot English mustard powder
blue cheese (Gorgonzola, Roquefort, or whatever you fancy)
flaky sea salt
freshly milled black pepper
Strip the leaves off the kohlrabi and cut off the tops and bottoms, and peel the outer tough skin. Using a mandolin cut the bulbs into paper-thin slices. Do the same with the radishes. Arrange the kohlrabi and radish slices on a platter, or on individual salad plates. Whisk the olive oil, white wine vinegar and mustard powder together in a small bowl, and drizzle the dressing over the slices. Season well with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
2 small, young kohlrabi
6 young radishes
4 Tbsp (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
4 tsp (20 ml) white wine vinegar, or white balsamic vinegar
a pinch of Hot English mustard powder
blue cheese (Gorgonzola, Roquefort, or whatever you fancy)
flaky sea salt
freshly milled black pepper
Strip the leaves off the kohlrabi and cut off the tops and bottoms, and peel the outer tough skin. Using a mandolin cut the bulbs into paper-thin slices. Do the same with the radishes. Arrange the kohlrabi and radish slices on a platter, or on individual salad plates. Whisk the olive oil, white wine vinegar and mustard powder together in a small bowl, and drizzle the dressing over the slices. Season well with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
Roasted Kohlrabi, Turnip and Carrot
Salad
Roast the above
mentioned vegetables or those of your choosing in olive oil and sea salt at 400°
for 20 minutes, add some fresh thyme and roast an additional 10 minutes. Add the roasted vegetables to salad greens
(you can also peel and chop raw kohlrabi to add to the greens in addition to
the roasted vegetable mix). Top with nuts like almonds and your favorite cheese
and dressing. For more details visit
the Noshtopia blog.
Turnip
Gratin
4 whole Turnips
3-4 cloves OR 2-3 scapes, Fresh Garlic
2 cups Gruyere Cheese
4-6 Tablespoons Butter
Chicken Broth
Heavy Cream
Salt And Pepper, to taste
Fresh Herbs, to taste (optional)
Preheat the oven to 375º F. Start by peeling and thinly slicing the
turnips and mincing the cloves or finely chopping the scapes of garlic. Grate
about 2 cups of Gruyere cheese. In a
large ovenproof skillet, melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat.
Place a single layer of turnips on top of the butter. Next, sprinkle a little of the garlic on
top, then (purely optional and really not all that necessary) add a couple of
tablespoons of butter. Next drizzle a
healthy splash of chicken broth over the turnips. Next, do the same with the
cream. Now add a nice layer of Gruyere,
about ½ cup. Sprinkle a bit of salt, but not much as the cheese is already
salty. Repeat these layers twice more.
Sprinkle on some freshly ground black pepper.
Now pop the whole thing into the over and bake for about 20 minutes or
until the top is hot, brown and bubbly.
Serves 6.
Spinach Cake, thanks to
a CSA member for sharing, she reports, “I adapted
the spinach "cake" slightly from a David Lebovitz version; although
it's called a cake, it is somewhat like a soufflé, just a bit more dense.
It reminds me a bit of Stouffer's spinach soufflé.”
2 medium leeks (you could use two onions, or a
bunch of scallions or green garlic instead)
2 tablespoons butter
salt and freshly-ground pepper
2 pounds fresh spinach, well-washed and
stemmed
big pinch of chile or cayenne pepper
whole nutmeg
6 large eggs
Parmesan cheese
Remove the green part of the leeks, slice each
lengthwise, and then slice each half thinly into half-moons. Wash the leeks in a bowl of water until they’re
grit free, then towel-dry. Melt the butter in a deep pan and sauté the leeks
with a little salt and pepper, stirring occasionally, until they’re
translucent. While they’re cooking, wash spinach and tear or slice into
ribbons. Once the leeks are cooked, begin adding the spinach in batches until
the spinach has cooked down, then add more. Add salt and pepper as you go, and
include a scraping of nutmeg and chile powder during the final batch.
Strawberries and Cream Baked Oatmeal
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy cream
1 Large egg
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sliced hulled Strawberries
Preheat oven to 350°F.Grease an 8 x 8-inch baking pan and set aside.
Stir together oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk together heavy cream, egg, butter and vanilla in a separate bowl. Pour
heavy cream mixture over oat mixture and stir until combined. Add 1 cup sliced strawberries.
Pour into prepared baking dish. Gently pound baking dish on the countertop to
make sure cream moves through oats. Scatter remaining strawberries over top of
the oatmeal. Bake 40 minutes, or until top is golden brown and oat mixture has
set. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Serve warm.
Strawberry
Caprese Pasta Salad
8 ounces shell pasta, cooked, rinsed and cooled
8 ounces fresh mozzarella balls, drained
1/4 cups slivered fresh basil
1/4 cups slivered red onion
1/4 cups prepared balsamic vinaigrette
.
