CSA News, Week 11

From the Farm . . .

With this being the eleventh week of our harvest and distribution for the summer season, you are halfway through the 22 weeks. Compared to other recent growing seasons, this first half has been as good as one could ask with plenty of sunshine, rainfall, and mostly healthy plants. We are seeing things ripening earlier than ever, plants growing faster then normal due to long hot days. High temperatures during the night increase plant growth as well. Some plants are not setting very many blooms due to the high heat resulting in not enough harvestable fruits (specialty peppers and green beans come to mind).

As is necessary when attempting to grow vegetables, we run irrigation to many of the crops which requires monitoring on the amount of water the plants receive, switching from one block of rows to the next after the appropriate amount of time, cleaning filters, and trying to not let the pipes and water lines get run over with the mower. We have only had to irrigate a couple of fields with the overhead traveling gun irrigator in order to get seeds to germinate on some of your later season root crops; we are seeding some of the fall crops in the greenhouse as transplants are a better way to ensure plant viability and establishment - just much more time consuming and costly to produce than direct seeding. But, we can get a head start on the weeds and a larger plant can better protect itself against strong predatory insect populations or wind-blown plant diseases that are both prevalent this time of the summer.

Everyone is putting in long days right now with all of the harvesting and a little planting and weeding. We are well fed at noon each day, and we appreciate knowing that the items we grow are being eaten and enjoyed by lots of you – thank you for your feedback in the email comments and conversations from time to time at the farmers markets.

NOTE: If you are interested in a box of “canning” tomatoes to can, make salsa, put into the freezer, tomato juice, etc. please let us know soon. We have the #2 tomatoes with nicks, cracks, and a spot here or there that we can make ready for you. You will want to get them right before you are ready to process, so call or email and we can set you up.

In Your Share . . .
Items in the shares may vary depending on your share size and harvest day. Each share may not have every item listed below.

Blackberries – organic
The berries are very ripe and ready to enjoy either with your breakfast, for a snack, or possibly in a cobbler tonight! Store refrigerated and rinse prior to eating.

To freeze, wash and let dry on a paper towel. Lay out on a baking sheet and put the entire pan in your freezer. Once the berries are frozen, gather them up into a container or bag – later on you can remove only the amount you need as they are individually frozen rather than in one mass.

Cauliflower - organic
The last few heads of the season, remove the outer leaves, obviously sunburned by the hot temperatures. Refrigerate until ready to use, and as we told you before – the creamy color is from sunshine and high heat, fall cauliflower will be whiter when the days and nights are cooler.

Sweet Corn

Cucumber

Eggplant

Melon
We have several varieties of melons planted, and they seem to be ripening a little at a time. Today’s harvest includes Pixie, Sugar Baby, and Napoli – some similar to canteloupes others are water melons. Flavor is tasty, but not as sweet as a really dry year (the wonderful rainfall over the past week directly affects melon sweetness).

Red Onion - organic

Green Bell Pepper

Raspberries – organic
Store refrigerated and rinse prior to eating. We should tell you that the red raspberries grown at Elmwood are the fall-bearing varieties. We expect them to begin production late August and continue until frost. This hot year, we see that some berry plants have already begun ripening – not having seen this before, we do not know if the plants will continue the rest of the summer, or stop early since they started early. For now, enjoy and we’ll keep you posted on production.

Retono de Repollo – organic
A new item this year, you can prepare as you might Brussel Sprouts or cooked cabbage. These baby cabbage heads are tender and sweet – find a recipe below.

Tomatoes, Red Slicing - organic
We really sorted through our red tomatoes to try to only include good ones in the shares. With the early blight set into the plants, the leaves have shriveled up resulting in more of the tomatoes being exposed to the sun. This causes sunburn and uneven ripening, both of which result in tomatoes with yellowng, or that will be whitish and unripe inside. We tried to cull those out during our harvest, and find that most of the better quality tomatoes are just not super ripe and ready to eat today. We did inlcude those as they will be really nice tomatoes, but be sure to let them ripen out at room temperature for a day or two prior to use. Try to not ever store your tomatoes in the refrigerator if possible.

Tomatoes, Heirloom – organic
Your share includes some more of the small salad varieties: Tigrella and BlackPlum. Also find some of the sweetest tomatoes on the farm – Sungold. And one or two of the large heirloom slicing tomatoes – varieties right now include Cherokee Purple, Pink Rose, or Arkansas Traveler. These are all quite fragile and will ripen up for you. In general they have less acidity than red tomatoes, wonderful flavor, and often will become your favorite for just slicing and eating.

Stringless Green Beans
We have a handful ready today though many of the beans are still flowering and just producing tiny little beans, another week or so before the full bean set is ready to harvest. These stringless snap beans only need the ends removed, then either use whole or break into bite sized pieces prior to cooking. Refrigerate to store.

Recipes to Enjoy . . .

Summer Panzanella
Thanks to a CSA member for sharing one of her favorite summer recipes. Found on Smittenkitchen dot com, she says, “I leave out the capers, I like the beer bread from Liquor Barn, and I usually use apple cider vinegar instead of champagne vinegar. It’s really good!”

3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes (I like to use a combination of purple or yellow or orange, to nicely colorize the dish)
1/2 red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons capers, drained

For the vinaigrette :
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1/3 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed.

2. For the vinaigrette, whisk together the ingredients.

3. In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

4. Serve immediately, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.

Green Bean Pate’

½ lb fresh green beans, trimmed
1 T oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
3 hard boiled eggs
3 TBS finely chopped basil
1 tsp lemon rind
Mayonnaise
Seasoned salt and pepper

Cook beans until tender by boiling or steaming them. In skillet, heat oil. Add onion and sauté until softened. Cool.

In a food processor grind green beans, eggs, onions, lemon rind and basil until roughly pureed. Remove from bowl and add enough mayo to hold mixture together. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Chill and serve with Melba toast or crackers.

Cucumber Salad

3 medium cucumbers
1 tsp salt
2/3 C white vinegar
½ C sugar
1 tsp dill or chervil
1/8 tsp pepper

Salt thinly sliced cucumbers and let stand at least 1 hour with a weight to release liquid. Pour on vinegar and seasonings.

Tomatoes: Peeled, Seeded, and Juiced – Fresh Tomato Pulp
from Julia Child

To peel tomatoes, drop them into a large pan of rapidly boiling water and time the boil for exactly 10 seconds. Cut out the core, then peel then skin down from it. To seed and juice them, halve crosswise and gently squeeze to dislodge jelly and juice, poking out remaining seeds with your fingers. They are then usually chopped or diced into “fresh tomato pulp.”

Fresh Tomato Sauce
Julia Child

For about 2 ½ C, sauté ½ C minced onions in 2 T olive oil, and when tender stir in 4 C fresh tomato pulp (see above) or half fresh and half canned Italian plum tomatoes. Season with a pinch of thyme, a bay leaf, 2 large cloves of pureed garlic, and if you wish, both a pinch of saffron threads and ¼ tsp dried orange peel. Salt lightly and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes.

Retono de Repollo with Tomato and Onion

Caramelize 2 small onions and keep warm in a pan.

Cut baby cabbages in half and using another pan, quickly fry in sesame oil - should only take a minute! Take cabbage out and put on top of onions.

Add a bit more oil to your open pan and throw in 6-8 of your black plum and/or tigerella tomatoes (halved or quartered) and stir-fry quickly. Add to onion-cabbage mixture. Add a bit of salt and top with soy sauce. Serve warm.

Week, 10, CSA News

In your Share . . .
Items in shares may vary depending on your share size and harvest day. Every share may not have every item listed below.


Blackberries – organic

Savoy Cabbage – organic
The Savoy cabbage is one of our most popular varieties. You can use as you might any green cabbage – oven roasted, steamed, braised, raw in cole slaws, etc. Store refrigerated and remove the outer leaves before coring and preparing. It will keep very well for you refrigerated, so you can save for several weeks if desired.

Cauliflower - organic
Enough heads for all shares this week. As we mentioned before, with such hot temperatures and sunshine during most of its growth in June, your heads will be creamier in color than the stark white we expect to see in the fall crop. Refrigerate prior to use.

Cucumber
We’re still harvesting this first round of cucumbers, though we’ll probably have a break before the next planting is ready to go. Refrigerate and know that a high percent of cucumber is water, so you will want to use within the week. Find a new recipe below.

Fresh Garlic - organic
You can store in your refrigerator, or dry it yourself in your pantry, garage, or porch – just hang up and protect from rain & damp conditions. Garlic will keep for you dried for many months – and you’ll be happy you have it when the summer growing season is over.

Yellow Onions - organic
These all-purpose yellow onions were harvested shortly after we got a brief rain at the farm during the night. They have not been dried and “cured” like you might expect when you see a bulb onion (what it is called without the green leafy tops). Use within the week if you find yours very fresh and a little moist. Or you can begin the drying process by storing like the garlic in a dry and undamp location like the pantry or garage.

Green Bell Pepper

All-Red Potatoes –organic
These Cranberry All-Red potatoes are one of the farm favorites – a good all-purpose potato with a red / white interior. They are moist and high in starch and best when steamed, sauteed or au gratin. Refrigerate.

Tomatoes, Red Slicing
We purposelly chose to include ripe and not-yet- ripe tomatoes for you today. Set out on the counter to ripen over the next several days.

Tomatoes, Heirloom – organic
Your share includes some more of the small salad varieties: Tigrella and Black Plum. These are grown in our unheated high tunnel that allows us to get plants out earlier than normal KY weather allows. We hope for earlier harvesting as a result also. With a nice growing spring, our field tomatoes are also starting to ripen. Your share includes a slicing tomato also this week. We’ll offer more on varieties in a later letter, but know that they are fragile, have less acidity than red tomatoes, and best enjoyed fresh! Find a new recipe on the back.

Eggplant
The first harvest of the season finds a handful of the traditional black globe eggplant ready. Refrigerate prior to use and find several recipes at our web blog.

Sweet Corn
Our next patch of sweet corn is ready for harvest today. This Super Sweet White variety is almost as popular as the Bi-Color we started with this season. As always, leave in the husk and refrigerate until ready to prepare to keep your sweetness intact and the ears as fresh as possible.

Patty Pan Squashes
You might steam or lightly saute your little squashes. Enjoy raw with dip or skewered for the grill. Use fairly soon as babies do not keep as well as big squash.

Recipes to Enjoy . . .


Tomato Feta Salad
Recipe and comments from Rona Roberts – learn more about local foods at her website Savoring Kentucky

1. Wash, core, chop into tablespoon-sized chunks, and put in a medium size bowl:

3 pounds sweet, fully ripe summer tomatoes. Three pounds will be about two giant pink Brandywine or other heirloom types, or four-five mid-sized round tomatoes. Mixed colors are nice.

2. Crumble into the bowl:

2 ounces good feta, or more, or less, depending on your taste


3. Add:

1 Tablespoon good quality balsamic vinegar1 teaspoon sea salt


4. Stir together. Taste. Adjust the seasonings, and add any additional vegetables or aromatic seasonings you want to try. Sit down with a bowl and spoon — this salad is juicy — and enjoy.

Tips on each key ingredient as this salad is a good as the quality of its basic ingredients:

Tomatoes: Use completely ripe, flavorful varieties from your garden or local farmers’ market. Heirloom pink and yellow types work well in this salad because their natural sweetness contrasts beautifully with the feta’s salty bite.

Feta: Make your own, or use locally made cheese like Bluegrass Chevre's
delicious goat milk feta, or buy good quality organic feta.

Salt: Crunchy Celtic Gray Sea Salt crystals add texture; any good sea salt works well.

Balsamic Vinegar: I like Cavalli Balsamic Seasoning, which is fairly sweet. Many other balsamic vinegars will work beautifully here.

Benedictine
As you may know, the original recipes was developed in Louisville by Jennie Benedict. Growing up in Kentucky, when folks move away, they are surprised to learn that this popular creamy spread used for sandwiches or as a dip is not known in other parts of the country. The version below makes quite a bit, you can reduce to meet your needs if desired Keeps very well refrigerated. Yield: 3-3 ½ cups.

1 ½# cream cheese, softened to room temperature
4-6 cucumbers, depending on size; peeled, seeded, pureed
1 med yellow onion, grated
1 tsp salt
(1-2 T mayo, optional)
5-7 drops hot sauce (suggest Crystal)

Peel, seed, crude chop cucumber. Puree. Strain through cheesecloth. Gently squeeze out all possible liquid.

Return to rinsed and dried food processor with remaining ingredients (mayo is traditionally, but it is suggested here to forgo it). (Salt and hot sauce can be adjusted for diet or taste).

Cabbage with Indian Spices
Recipe from Farmer John’s Cookbook

3 T vegetable oil
2 C minced onion
1 ½ tsp minced ginger
1 green hot chile pepper, cut in half lengthwise
1 tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
pinch tumeric
3 T water
1 large fresh tomato, peeled and chopped
½ tsp salt

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, ginger and chile pepper; sauté, stirring often, until the onion is browned, 15 to 20 minutes.

Stir in the cabbage. Add the coriander, cayenne, and tumeric and mix well. Add the water, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the tomato and salt; stir to combine. Cover and cook until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the hot chile pepper before serving.

Garlic Paste
12 large garlic cloves, peeled, cut in half lengthwise
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
½ tsp salt
½ cup olive oil
pepper

Heat halved garlic cloves, thyme, bay, salt and oil in small saucepan over medium-high heat until bubbles start to rise to surface. Reduce heat to low and cook until garlic is soft, about 30 minutes. Cool completely. Strain, reserving oil. Discard herbs and transfer garlic to small bowl. Mash garlic with 1 T garlic oil until paste forms.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Suggested use includes rubbing meat or fish with oil before roasting or grilling. Use paste on meats or fish before oven cooking to give flavorful crust.

Sautéed Cabbage
from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa, she writes that
Martha Stewart taught her this delicious dish

1 small head of cabbage, including outer leaves
2 T unsalted butter
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Cut the cabbage in half and, with the cut-side down,
slice it as thinly as possible around the core, as
though you were making coleslaw. Discard the core.

Melt the butter in a large sauté pan or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage, salt, and pepper and sauté for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender and begins to brown. Finish with another sprinkling of kosher salt. Serve hot. Serves 6.

CSA News, Week 9

In Your Share . . .
Share items may vary depending on your harvest day and share size. Each share may not contain every item listed below.

Blackberries – organic
Surprise! Like many things this season, this crop is ready the earliest ever – first week of July. Enjoy fresh and store refrigerated.

Cucumber

Fresh Green Garlic - organic
These small garlic heads can be used as you would any garlic. They have not been dried as our later offerings will be – so your choice is to store refrigerated, or to air dry yourself by hanging in the pantry or out on the counter.

Yellow Onions - organic
These all-purpose yellow onions are more from our over-wintered crop. We start our own onions from seeds in the the fall of the year and transplant out when appropriately sized. We then mulch and tend to them over the winter, remove the mulch, weed, water and tend to them in the spring. Once the seed heads start and the tops begin to die back, we can begin harvesting organic onions.

Onions are known as antioxidants, are said to remove heavy metals from the human body, lower cholesterol, and help kidney function. Store in your pantry.

Yellow Summer Squash and Green Zucchini
You can use your summer squashes along with onions, tomatoes, and garlic in an easy pasta dish. Or, make a cheesy dip and slice into pieces for dipping raw. Find new recipes below. Store refrigerated.

Tomatoes, Red
Yeh! They are ready!

Tomatoes, Heirloom - organic

Broccoli Florets – organic
Broccoli harvest is trailing off for the spring crop; after the center large head is cut, the plants often produce smaller side shoots that we can har-vest as florets. The smaller pieces will not keep as long, so try to use within several days. Broccoli salad is really nice this time of the year, or add to a quick stir-fry, or make a fresh garlic dip and enjoy as a snack or holiday party appetizer.

Cauliflower – organic
The first cauliflower heads are starting to size up. With such hot temperatures and sun-shine during its growth in June, your heads will be more creamy in color than the white we expect to see in the fall crop. Cauliflower will keep fresh for you longer than expected when refrigerated.

Sweet Corn
As we mentioned in last week’s newsletter, the corn we planted with the intent to harvest this week was ready early, so with this week’s shares we find ourselves in between corn plantings.

Folks may not realize that each corn plant produces only one, and at most, two ears of any size and predictability. We went through many rows looking for the second ears and did find some, but not enough for all size shares. The second ears are often shorter in length than the primary ear, some-times the entire ear will not be filled out with full kernels (a pollination issue), and sometimes there just might not be a second ear at all. So, hopefully you will appreciate a handful of smallish ears rather than no ears at all!

Kale Greens – organic
Find a small bunch of greens this week – perhaps enough to stirfry or steam. We also hear great reports from people making kale chips – review the Mollie Katzen recipe for Kale Crunch we included in the 7-12-07 post on our web blog.

Baby Melon
The baby canteloupe-type melon is truly personal sized.

Recipes to Enjoy . . .

Poached Salmon with Corn & White Wine Butter Sauce
Thanks to a CSA member for sharing this recipe from Food and Wine magazine and the website. She used some items from her CSA share and some from her own garden and tells us that the resulting dish is delicious!

medium zucchini (1 1/2 pounds), coarsely shredded
Salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium shallots—2 finely chopped, 1 halved
Freshly ground pepper
2 3/4 cups dry white wine
1 cup fresh corn kernels
2 lemon thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
Four 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
1/4 cup thinly sliced basil leaves

1. Set a colander over a bowl. Add the zucchini to the colander and toss with 1 teaspoon of salt. Let stand for 20 minutes. Squeeze the zucchini dry.
2. In a large, nonreactive skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the chopped shallots and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of the wine and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in the corn and 1/2 cup of water. Cover and cook until the corn is tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in the zucchini and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, cover and keep warm.
3. In a large, nonreactive saucepan, combine 2 cups of the wine with the thyme, bay leaf, the halved shallot and 2 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Season the salmon with salt, add the fillets to the saucepan and cook at a bare simmer over low heat, turning once, about 6 minutes. Transfer the salmon to a plate and pat dry with paper towels. Discard the poaching liquid.
4. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of wine to the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until thoroughly incorporated. Season with salt. Stir the basil into the vegetables and transfer to plates. Nestle the salmon into the vegetables, top with the butter sauce and serve.


Disappearing Zucchini Orzo
Our thanks to a CSA member for sharing this tasty Barbara Kingsolver recipe. She reports that it is wonderful served warm, room temperature, or cold as a salad direct from the refrigerator.

¾ lb pkg orzo pasta
1 chopped onion and/or garlic to taste
3 large zucchini
olive oil
Herbs of your choice (thyme and oregano were recommended)
¼ cup grated Parmesan or any hard yellow cheese

Cook orzo according to package directions. For more flavor, replace water with your favorite stock. Shred zucchini and sauté briefly with chopped onion and garlic until lightly golden. Add spices to zucchini mixture, stir thoroughly, and then remove from heat. Combine with cheese and cooked orzo, salt to taste, serve hot, cool or at room temperature.

Squash Patties
Recipe from cookbook of Little Rock Farmers Market

2 yellow squash
2 T flour
1 onion
3 T cornmeal
½ tsp salt
1 egg
3 T sugar

Grate squash and onion. Add egg followed by dry ingredients. Mix well. Drop by heaping tablespoons into hot skillet with small amount of oil. Fry until golden brown.

Farmers Market Greek Salad
Recipe from Fresh From the Farmers’ Market by Janet Fletcher; serves 4 as salads or 2 as main course

1 pound mixed tomatoes in different colors and sizes
¼ onion, sliced paper thin
1 or 2 cucumbers, about ½ pound total weight, thinly sliced
2 ounces feta cheese, preferably Greek or Bulgarian
10 to 12 fresh basil leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 kalamata olives
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T white wine vinegar
1 large clove garlic, minced to a paste with salt

Core and halve the large tomatoes through the stem, then lay cut side down and slice into half-rounds. Halve the cherry tomatoes if using. Arrange the large tomatoes on a platter, alternating the colors attractively. Top with onion, then with cucumber rounds. Sprinkle the halved cherry tomatoes on top of the cucumbers. Dot the surface with small clumps of cheese. Tear basil leaves into small pieces and scatter over all. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange the olives around the edge of the platter.
In a bowl, whisk together olive oil, wine vinegar and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and pour over salad just before serving.

Week 8, CSA News

In Your Share . . .
Items in your share may vary depending on your share size and harvest day. Each share may not have every item listed below.

Sweet Corn
This is the earliest first harvest we can remem-ber. Enjoy! Refrigerate in the husks to keep fresh.

You are loaded up this week with the corn. Both the first two plantings are ready to harvest at the same time – possibly a result of our warm temperatures speeding things along. We will have a week without corn, so enjoy it now while there is an abundance.

Cucumber

Leeks – organic
These little leeks can be cooked whole; steamed, braised, or baked. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, but wrap lightly to avoid aroma spreading to other foods. Popular in soup recipes, leeks also offer a complimentary flavor to many meat dishes. Substitute for onions in recipes for a slight flavor change. Leeks and onions are cousins, but leeks actually belong to the lily family. Leeks are milder than onions but also sweeten when they’re cooked. Smaller leeks like in your share are more tender and have better flavor than larger ones.

New Potatoes – organic
Find a pound or so from the first row of the new potatoes dug this past weekend. This variety, Caribe, used to be one of our most popular – it is early to size up, has nice flavor, and the skin color is somewhere between a red and a blue potato.
The last two years, it has still been great to eat, but not so pretty to look at, so we’ll have to get back to testing out some new, early varieties. Store refrigerated.

Yellow Summer Squash

Green Tomatoes
This week find the first of the season’s tomatoes. Green tomatoes are most popular lightly breaded and either pan-fried or oven roasted. Serve with a special sauce, eat on sandwhiches like a BLT, and/or sprinkle with Worstershire sauce. Whatever your favorite, know that the ripe tomatoes can’t be too much farther away. Find recipes below.

You can substitute a green tomato for tomatillo when making green salsas (not as tart), or make chutney or relish.

Cabbage, Green – organic

Beets - organic
Though all shares had beets last week, we know from your responses that they are quite popular. Store the beetroot refrigerated for a couple of weeks, but use your greens fairly soon. They are your only leafy green this week – think quiche, lasagna, stir-fry, or use in place of lettuce on an oven-toasted sandwich.

Fresh Green Garlic - organic
These small garlic heads can be used as you would any garlic. They have not been dried as our later offerings will be – so your choice is to store refrigerated, or to air dry yourself by hanging in the pantry or out on the counter.

Cipollini Onions – organic
It is very special treat this week with a few of the specialty Cipollini onions ready for harvest. We know that once you have them, you will appreciate their special flavor compared to a traditional onion. Not as sweet as a “candy” type, these Italian onions are excellent cooked whole in liquid; they retain the juicy goodness until you cut or bite into them. We suggest the Gourmet magazine recipe found in the 8/18/08 newsletter on our web blog; or visit epicurious.com. You will want to use these in a special recipe so you can enjoy their flavor. Right now, the onions are being harvested fresh and you will want to store refrigerated and/or use soon.

Heirloom Tomatoes – organic
Find a small container of the first ripe tomatoes of the season. We start the seeds of these small varieties in January to transplant later and grow in the soil in our unheated high tunnel. The smaller tomatoes usually ripen quicker than larger ones and it is nice to have a taste this early in the season.

Broccoli Florets – organic
Broccoli harvest is trailing off for the spring crop; after the center large head is cut, the plants often produce smaller side shoots that we can harvest as florets. The smaller pieces will not keep as long, so try to use within several days. Broccoli salad is really nice this time of the year, or add to a quick stir-fry, or make a fresh garlic dip and enjoy as a snack or holiday party appetizer.

Recipes to Enjoy . . .

Cucumber Salad
3 medium cucumbers
1 tsp salt
2/3 C white vinegar
½ C sugar
1 tsp dill or chervil
1/8 tsp pepper

Salt think sliced cucumbers and let stand at least 1 hour with a weight to release liquid. Pour on vinegar and seasonings.

Braised Leeks
a Julee Rosso recipe for the microwave

1 pound leeks, cut in half lengthwise
2 tsp chicken or vegetable broth
2 T brown sugar

Put the leeks in a glass dish and add the broth. Cover tightly and microwave on high 6 to 8 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with the brown sugar, cover, turning back a corner to vent. Microwave for 2 minutes on high. Toss to coat and serve immediately.

Creamy Leek, Potato, and Sour Cream Chive Soup
recipe from From Asparagus to Zucchini

3 T butter
2-3 leeks, thinly sliced, about 4 C total
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 pound potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced
4 C chicken stock
½ - 1 C sour cream
4 T chopped fresh chives, divided
salt and pepper

Melt butter in pot over medium-low. Add leeks and tarragon; cover and cook slowly, 15-20 minutes. Add potatoes and stock; bring to simmer, cover and cook until tender, 10-15 minutes. Puree mixture. Return puree to pot; stir in sour cream and 2 T chives. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle each serving with additional chives. Makes 6 servings.

Quick Fix, Fried Green Tomatoes

This is a fast and simple way to make Southern style fried green tomatoes.

Wash and slice tomatoes in ¼ inch slices.

Put cornmeal in a bowl; dredge each slice in meal, covering both sides.

Heat ½ inch depth of your favorite cooking oil on medium in a heavy iron skillet.

Gently lay tomato slices in pan covering bottom but not overlapping. Cook until brown and turn once, browning the other side. Watch carefully as they cook quickly.

Drain on paper towel. Serve warm; sprinkle with Worcestershire Sauce.

Herbed Green Tomatoes
This recipe takes more a little more time than the one above because it calls for draining the tomatoes before frying and adding a few more ingredients.

Wash and slice tomatoes in ¼ inch slices.

Sprinkle slices with salt and drain 30-60 minutes

Mix the following in a bowl:

¼ cup cornmeal
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp all purpose flour
¾ tsp garlic salt
½ tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp black pepper

Beat an egg. Dip each slice in egg, then flour mixture covering both sides.

Heat ½ inch depth of cooking oil on medium in a heavy iron skillet.

Gently lay tomato slices in pan covering bottom but not overlapping. Cook until brown and turn once, browning the other side. Watch carefully as they cook quickly.

Drain on paper towel. Serve warm or room temperature.

CSA Newsletter, Week 7

In Your Share
Shares may vary depending on your harvest day and your share size. Every share may not have every item listed below.

Beets - organic
Refrigerate for storage; the beet root will keep for several weeks, the greens should be used within a few days. Several recipes can be found on our online web blog along with a recipe for the green tops in our 6-7-10 newsletter.

Cucumber
Enjoy the first of the season, refrigerate.

Fresh Green Garlic - organic
You have had garlic several ways so far this spring. Our harvest of the entire heads is starting and you have the very first! Use your garlic as you would any dried head – just know that it is fresh from the soil, not yet dried in our barn – the next step.

You can store in your refrigerator, or dry it yourself in your pantry, garage, or porch – just hang up and protect from rain & damp conditions.

Fresh Herb Bunch: Sage, French Tarragon, Thyme - organic
You can use fresh, or hang to dry. Remove the leaves from the stem before chopping. Store refrigerated to keep fresh wrapped in a damp paper towel, or if stem length allows, put into water as you would fresh flowers.

Kale Bunch: Curly Green Kale and Flat Leaf Red Kale – organic
We wrote quite a bit about your fresh greens in our 5-31-10 news-letter. You can find several recipes for heavy greens on our web blog and in past newsletters. This bunch will keep longest for you in the refrig-erator and is very for-giving if it wilts down abit during storage. Add to soups or pasta to enhance the flavor of all the other ingredients, or remove the heavy stems and enjoy either steamed or sauteed.

Onions, Green – organic
Enjoy these green onions, one of the most challenging to grow organically. This is because we can’t just purchase the “onion sets” found in your local farm store or garden center since they were not organically grown and may even be from GMO seed. We start our own onions from seeds, some in the the fall of the year like the garlic. We plant it, mulch and tend to it over the winter, remove the mulch, weed, water and tend to it all spring – then we can begin harvesting organic onions. There are just one or two farms around the Eastern part of the US that grow organic onion sets and onion transplants. But, the cost is just too prohibitive for green onions since there is such little yield from one plant.

Refrigerate and enjoy as much of the white and green as you find desirable. Slice into quiche, stir-fry, use in any recipe that calls for fresh onion, and even chop lightly and top a green salad.

Green Zucchini Squash

Broccoli - organic

Cabbage, Green – organic

Patty Pan Summer Squash

Heirloom Tomatoes, Yellow Cherry– organic

Purple Top White Globe Turnips – organic


Recipes to Enjoy

Sweet and Savory Kale Greens
Thanks to a CSA member who shared this recipe last season. The greens do cook down quite a bit, but it has become a farm favorite recipe. You can use your green onions, garlic, kale, and/or any other greens you may have in the fridge.

2 T olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T Dijon mustard
4 tsp white sugar
1 T cider vinegar
1 ½ C chicken broth
4 C stemmed, torn and rinsed kale
¼ C dried cranberries
salt and pepper to taste
¼ C sliced almonds

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion softens and turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mustard, sugar, vinegar, and chicken stock, and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the kale, cover, and cook 5 minutes until wilted.

Stir in the dried cranberries, and continue boiling, uncovered, until the liquid has reduced by about half, and the cranberries have softened, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with sliced almonds before serving.

Roasted Turnips, Onions and Apples
adapted from an internet recipe created by Tammy Donroe. You can always omit the apple if not readily available, and add in beets or garlic for a little different flavor.

1 large white turnip, peeled and chopped into ¾-inch cubes
2-3 green onions, cleaned and sliced into wedges
1 large tart apple (like Cortland, Granny Smith, or Macoun; not McIntosh as they will saucify), peeled, sides cut off the core and sliced into ¼-inch half-moons
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme or sage
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375°F. Dump all the ingredients onto a sheet pan and combine with your hands until everything is coated in oil. Don’t forget the salt and pepper. Roast 20-25 minutes, until vegetables start to take on some color. Flip them with a spatula and roast 20-25 minutes more, until the onions are on their way toward burning but not quite there, yet. Serves 4.

Zucchini Bread
recipe makes 1 loaf of bread

1 C all purpose flour
1 C whole-wheat flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 egg
¼ C vegetable oil
½ C sugar
1 C grated zucchini, skin on
½ C milk

In one bowl combine first 7 ingredients and set aside. In another bowl, beat egg. Add oil, sugar, zucchini and milk. Blend well. Add to dry ingredients, stir just until moist. Spoon in greased loaf pan. Cook at 350 degrees for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick or knife stuck in pulls out clean.


Grilled Zucchini Spears with Fresh Herbs
Recipe from Martha Stewart Living, original calls for mint, but we find our favorite fresh herb works just as well. Serves 4.

2 large zucchini, halved and cut into spears
extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 – 2 T small fresh herb leaves
garnish with larger herb leaves

Heat grill to high. Drizzle zucchini with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Grill zucchini, turning often, until cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a platter. Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with herb leaves. Garnish with herb sprigs.


Ginger Lemon Broccoli

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp minced garlic
¼ tsp grated fresh ginger
¼ tsp lemon peel
1 head fresh broccoli or broccoli florets

Whisk oil, lemon juice, salt, garlic, ginger, and lemon peel in small bowl. Set aside.

Cook 1 head broccoli, cut into florets, in 6 cups boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Drain. Toss with dressing.

Week 6, CSA News

From the Farm . . .

Usually by this time in the “late spring–almost summer” season, we are dealing with too much heat and not enough rain, or continuously drizzly days with not enough sunshine. Not this season. This year’s spring season seems to be somewhat balanced without a really late freeze, but rather we have enjoyed consistent rainfall combined with good sunshine and warmth that our summer crops really love.

We started harvesting squash this week, soon to be followed by cucumbers, onions, garlic and beans. Sweet corn, potatoes, and the early tomatoes are coming along nicely, also peppers and eggplant. Later items that need a long growing season, like Brussels sprouts and celery, have been transplanted and their water irrigation lines are set up. We are putting more time into our perennial herb beds and flower production this year including edibles and cut flowers bouquets.

Good weather does bring the need for lots of work resulting in long, long days. While the farm crew tries to take at least one day off weekly, the farm itself does not –vegetables continue to ripen and are ready for harvest, the soil may be in prime condition for planting, the grasses are ready to be cut for hay, and the weeds keep growing. We have between 10 and 18 folks working at the farm each day depending on whether we are harvesting and packing CSA shares that day. At any given time, some of us may be planting, transplanting, mulching and weeding crops. Some are busy harvesting or washing; some counting out, sorting, and packing CSA boxes; some tending to animals or weed-eating around their electric fences; mowing and baling hay; hooking up the irrigation; stringing the tomatoes; loading the farmers market truck; turning the compost; mowing the pastures; and the list seems to go on.

One of the most important jobs at the farm is in the kitchen where our favorite farm chef prepares all of us a home cooked lunch each day using as many ingredients as possible grown here at the farm. We feel very fortunate to have freshly prepared organic food ready for us after a morning of hard, hot work and refuel us to go back out for more. We use the farm kitchen as a testing opportunity for new varieties of vegetables and as a place to utilize the not-so-perfect items that may get harvested but don’t pass our quality inspection during cleaning, sorting, and packing boxes. There’s nothing that goes into your CSA box that we haven’t tried ourselves. And, just like you, we often are surprised to find a new favorite vegetable!

In Your Share
Share items may vary depending on your harvest day and share size. Every share may not have every item listed below.

Broccoli – organic

Cabbage, Green – organic
Your early head of green cabbage will keep several weeks when refrigerated. Fresh cabbage is sweet, juicy and more moisture content than fall crops. Cabbage contains Vit. E, calcium, more Vit. C than oranges, and many minerals.

Garlic Scapes - organic
Garlic scapes are the center stalks of the hard neck garlic plant. Early in the season, you had the green garlic leaves and last week the green garlic whole plant. Scapes can be enjoyed in many dishes while we wait for the bulbs to fill out into cloves underground. Use as you would use garlic cloves. Chop finely or use a processsor since some stalks can be fibrous. The heads are also edible. You can make pesto; chop in salads; or sauté similar to green onions. Store refrigerated or in water in a vase; can be finely chopped, then frozen.

Lettuce Head - organic
Our harvest this week is from all three lettuce beds, cutting our last heads that have not yet been affected by the heat. As a result, your share contains any one of nine varie-ties – probably the last whole head for a while. Find a new dressing recipe below.

Onions, Yellow – organic
Find a couple of onions from our first harvest of the year. Though these are a yellow variety of traditional bulb onions, they have not been dried and cured as your later storage onions will be. Just store in the pantry and use within a couple of weeks.

Summer Squash, Yellow and Green Zucchini
One of the most versatile summer vegetables, the squash can be enjoyed raw when sliced small, or cooked in many ways. When squash is harvested smaller, the skin is tender and it is unnecessary to peel. Also, the seeds are smaller and easier to digest. When harvested fresh, the flavor is strongest before the squash loses moisture through natural evaporation. Just remove the stem end before preparing and store refrigerated.

Fennel – organic
The long stalks with hairy fern-like leaves are your fresh fennel bulbs and fronds. It has a long history as a popular item grown in ancient Greece. Fennel is known to aid in digestion, cure poor eyesight, help a nervous condition, and even repel insects. Store refrigerated and realize that the anise aroma will spread throughout your fridge. You can separate the leaves from the bulb to store if you want to keep in closed containers. Fennel is quite popular as a fresh herb seasoning with baked or broiled fish along with lemon.

If you think you don’t like fennel, try this tip from Two Small Farms in California: chop like celery and cook with onion when you’re starting a chili or spaghetti sauce. There will be no anise flavor at all and you will have used up the fennel.

Edible Flowers - organic

Recipes to Enjoy

Garlic Scape Pesto
This recipe is shared by a member who found it on the internet when researching garlic scapes.

1 C garlic scapes (about 7-8), top flowery part removed, cut into ¼ inch slices
1/3 C walnuts
¾ C olive oil
¼ - ½ C grated parmigiano
½ tsp salt
black pepper to taste

Place scapes and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and whiz until well combined and somewhat smooth. Slowly drizzle in oil and process until integrated. With a rubber spatula, scoop pesto out of bowl and into a mixing bowl. Add parmigiano to taste; add salt and pepper. Makes about 6 ounces of pesto. Keeps for up to one week in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For ½ pound short pasta such as penne, add about 2 Tablespoons of pesto to cooked pasta along with 2 Tablespoons of the pasta water and stir until pasta is well coated.

Caesar Dressing with Garlic Scapes
A member shared this recipe and reports, “If you enjoy the stinky, pungent Caesar dressing at a certain Down-Under restaurant, you'll love this. Substitute a good handful of chopped garlic scapes and a few flower heads in place of the chopped garlic to put those scapes to good use.”

1 C eggs, beaten
1 ¼ oz crushed fresh garlic (or substitute a handful of chopped garlic scapes--the tender ends--and some flower heads)
3 ½ oz grated Parmesan cheese
2 2/3 T red wine vinegar or rice vinegar
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 T salt
1 T black pepper
1 T dry mustard
1 ½ oz anchovy paste or 1 can of drained anchovies
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ C olive oil (vary the amount of olive oil to change consistency to your preference)

Throw all the ingredients in a blender and pulverize. Will keep about 1 week refrigerated. Makes 1 quart or so, depending on how much olive oil you use.

Roasted Squash & Fennel with Thyme
Our thanks to a CSA member for this versatile recipe. Use your favorite fresh herb! Makes 4 servings, about 2/3 cup each.

2 small summer squash (about 12 ounces)
1½ C sliced fennel bulb (about 1 small bulb), plus 1 T chopped fennel fronds, divided
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 T chopped fresh thyme
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
¼ C thinly sliced garlic

Preheat oven to 450°F. Quarter squash lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Combine the squash with sliced fennel, oil, thyme, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread the mixture evenly on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and roast until the vegetables are tender and the fennel is beginning to brown, about 5 minutes more. Stir in fennel fronds and serve.

Week 5, CSA

In Your Share . . .

Items in your share may vary depending on your share size and harvest day. Every share may not have every item listed below.

Red Beets with Tops – organic

Find a handful of the first beets of the season. Remove the beet roots from the stems and use the beet greens either raw in a fresh green salad, or cook with your Swiss chard or mixed green bunch. The red color can be a little intense, but know that you are consuming a blood tonic that is good for anemia, your heart and circulation. Beets also contain notable amounts of calcium, iron, magnesium and phosphorus.

Refrigerate for storage; the beet root will keep for several weeks, the greens should be used within a few days. Several recipes can be found on our online web blog along with a recipe below for the green tops.

Broccoli – organic

Broccoli is one of the most popular green vegetables. Some varieties are true green, some more blue, and some will show a hint of the yellow flowers earlier than others – high heat causes this which makes our window to grow spring broccoli in KY vary from year to year. Last season it was not the heat, but the ongoing rains giving us challenges on harvesting perfect heads.

Broccoli contains Vit. A, mosof it found in the leaves – so throw them in with your mixed greens or chard. Steam, stir-fry, oven roast, or eat raw as a healthy snack with a garlic dip. You can use the entire stalk, not just the florets – store in the coldest part of your refrigerator. Find a recipe below.

Green Garlic – organic

Today’s harvest includees the entire plant of green garlic. The bulbs are fresh, not yet dried as you will receive later in the season, so we recommend you refrigerate for storing. You can use the entire bulb (including the roots) and at this young stage it may not yet be separated into cloves. Use the stalk as far up as it is tender, just as you did last month.

Garlic is well-known for its nutritional and med-icinal properties. It helps stabilize blood sugar levels, lowers fever, eliminates toxins from the body, and stimulates your metabolism.

Lettuce Heads - organic

Varieties in your share this week include the popular Green Leaf, the fluffy red Summercrisp, and a Red Romaine, Outredgeous, in the larger shares.

Swiss Chard– organic

Many of you love when the Rainbow Swiss Chard is ready. The colors are so bright (hence a variety name of “Bright Lights”) to make preparing a good-for-you vegetable more fun. Chard is high in Vit. A, E, and C along with calcium and iron. Chard does not contain as much oxalic acid as spinach, resulting in your body absorbing more minerals during digestion.

You can enjoy the entire leaf including the whole stalk. You can prepare any way that you would use spinach. Easy recipes include stir-fry, steaming, or sautéing. You can also enjoy raw, but most people enjoy using as a cooked green. Find a recipe below. Refrigerate to store.

Sugar Snap Peas – organic

Similar to last week, you can eat the entire pod and peas with this type. Break the ends and if a string has developed, pull it off from end to end. Steam or sauté/stir fry. You can also blanch for 1-2 minutes in boiling water, cool in iced water, and then enjoy in a cold salad, or pop in a freezer bag to use later.

Greens: Mustard and Turnip – organic

The season for these spring greens is quickly ending – enjoy one more bunch this week. You may not see the cool weather greens again until the fall season.

Fresh Herbs: Sage and Thyme – organic

Recipes to Enjoy . . .

Pasta with Broccoli and Ginger

1 bunch broccoli

1½ C chicken or vegetable broth, divided

2 T olive oil

1 T minced fresh ginger

1 tsp minced garlic

1/8 to ¼ tsp crushed red pepper

½ tsp salt

1 lb fusilli, rotelle or radiatore pasta, cooked according to package directions

Cut broccoli florets from stem. Trim to small florets. Peel and slice stems. Process sliced stems and ½ C broth in food processor until very fine.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger, garlic, and red pepper. Cook 15 seconds. Stir in pureed broccoli mixture, florets, remaining 1 C broth and salt. Boil, stirring occasionally, just until broccoli is tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Toss with pasta.

Simply Greens

Our thanks to a friend of the farm for adapting this recipe from an original found on the website: SimplyRecipes.com. She uses a combination of beet greens, Swiss Chard, and the tops of whatever other root vegetables she happens to have on hand. Serves 4.

1 pound greens

1 strip of thick cut bacon, chopped (or a tablespoon of bacon fat)

¼ C chopped onion

1 large garlic clove, minced

¾ C of water

1 T granulated sugar

¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/6 C of cider vinegar

Wash the greens in a sink filled with cold water. Drain greens and wash a second time. Drain greens and cut away any heavy stems. Cut leaves into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

In a large skillet or 3-qt saucepan, cook bacon until lightly browned on medium heat (or heat 1 Tbsp of bacon fat). Add onions, cook over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions soften and start to brown. Stir in garlic. Add water to the hot pan, stirring to loosen any particles from bottom of pan. Stir in sugar and red pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. Add the greens, gently toss in the onion mixture so the greens are well coated. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5-15 minutes until the greens are tender. Stir in vinegar. (For kale, turnip, mustard, or collard greens continue cooking additional 20 to 25 minutes or until desired tenderness.) Serves 4.

Greens with Miso Sauce

Recipe from Farmer John’s Cookbook

1 bunch radish, turnip, or other greens

1 T miso paste (found in refrigerated section of most health food stores and many supermarkets; start with a light-colored variety for a mild, sweet flavor if new to you)

1 T peanut oil

sugar

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

2 C hot cooked rice

Bring 2 C water to a boil in a medium pot. Add the greens and boil for 1 minute. Drain the greens in a colander and run cool water over them to stop the cooking. Let drain again, then gently squeeze out any excess water with your hands. Transfer the greens to a cutting board. Chop finely and set aside.

Put the miso paste in a small bowl. Stir in 2 T water, then add a little more water so that the miso is thinned just enough to stir into other ingredients.

Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped greens; cook, stirring, until they are tender and heated through. Add the thinned miso paste. Add sugar to taste; stir the ingredients until thoroughly combined. Remove from heat; stir in the toasted sesame oil. Serve over rice.

Limed Sugar Snaps

Recipe from Entertaining with Bluegrass Winners

1 ½ pounds sugar snap peas

salt for water

2 T butter

1 T lime juice

Wash and remove ends and any strings on peas. Blanch peas in boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and cover with ice. After cooled, place peas on paper towels to dry.

Melt butter in pan. Add peas to pan and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté peas until warm. Pour lime juice over peas and serve immediately. Serves 6-8.