NEWSLETTERS Back To All Newsletters JULY 10 2013 NEWSLETTER Select A Different Newsletter: Date www.denisonfarm.com Tuesday July 9, 2013 Greetings CSA Members, "Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will, in the end, contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness." (from Thomas Jefferson to George Washington) I can smell the pulled garlic from my window today the garlic harvest has begun! This marks the first big, full crew harvest of the season. Onions and potatoes will follow when they mature. But as each day passes and more rain pours from the sky, we are pleased when we can begin to dry some of the crops out that are quite water-logged. Brian reports that the conditions are not too favorable for growing or harvesting muddy fields, soggy foliage, and the beginnings of disease are creeping in. Of course, there are the relentless and inexhaustible mosquitoes and the muggy heat to slow down our determined crew. But each and everyone of our remarkable team continue to smile and say: It s not too bad. Jury s out on that one! The Fruit Share begins this week with 1 quart and 1 pint of cherries. If you signed up for the fruit share, please check your name off on the fruit share sign-in clipboard. In addition, if you did purchase the fruit share, but did not receive yesterday s email announcing that July 10th was the start of the 15-week fruit share, please let me know. **Please remember if you are not able to pick up your CSA box to ask a friend or relative to come in your stead, And please let them know exactly what shares (vegetable, fruit, bread, egg) you have purchased so they know exactly what to pick up. Thank you! Enjoy your share and your week Justine This week in your share, you will most likely receive: A head of Lettuce Beets Cucumbers and/or Summer Squash/Zucchini Sugarsnap Peas Sweet Onions And some combination of the following: Green Beans Cabbage Chinese Cabbage Tomatoes Kale
Kale If you have signed up for a fruit share, the fruit share begins today Wednesday July 10th! 1 quart and 1 pint Cherries Bread Share: Scallion Loaf Triage from Leah! Step 1: Triage Short Life: Lettuce, Tomatoes, Beet Greens Medium Life: Sugar Snap Peas, Green Beans, Cucumbers, Summer Squash/Zucchini Long Life: Sweet Onions, Cabbage, Chinese Cabbage, Kale, Beets As with the Sugar Snap Peas, Sweet Onions will lose some of their sweetness the longer they're out of the ground. If you are looking for that sweet, ready to grill taste, use them sooner rather than later. By the by, the reason these are called Sweet Onions and not Vidalia onions is because according to Federal Regulations, Sweet Onions can only be called Vidalia onions if they are grown in the State of Georgia. The Vidalia onion is in fact the state vegetable of Georgia. Regardless of the trivia, treat Denison Farm Sweet Onions as you would Vidalia onions and you will be in great shape. In our house, they will go on the grill or be sautéed down to caramelized goodness and top burgers or whatever sandwich seems handy at the time. Step 2: Divide and Conquer Remove the Beets Greens from the Beets. Wash thoroughly and strip from stems. Sauté them in an oven safe skillet with caramelized Sweet Onions. Pour Eggs over the top and preheat your oven broiler. Lower the heat under the eggs, sprinkle on some cheese, and cook until eggs are solidifying along the edges. Place under broiler until the top is puffed and brown. Remove and serve immediately with a good hearty bread and green salad. As for your Green Beans, snap off the end and eat raw. Do the same with your Sugar Snap Peas. If you must cook them, for heaven's sake don't cook them past bright green. There is nothing worse than grey vegetables. The technical term is "tender crisp" and it takes no more than 3 minutes or less in boiling water. Step 3: Everything in its Place I have written sagas on the uses of Kale. But as of this week, I have a new favorite way to use it: a Massaged Kale Salad. I first tried it served at a friend's wedding, catered by the bride herself. I cannot wait to try it at home. The recipe reads as follows: Jeff and Amanda's Massaged Kale Salad 1 bunch of curly green or purple kale 1/4 cup vinegar (recipe recommends Aceto Balsamico di Modena) 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil sea salt to taste 1. Strip kale from its stems into bite-sized pieces. Wash kale and spin the kale dry. 2. Right before serving, place kale in a large bowl. Add vinegar and oil and a pinch of salt. With clean hands, massage the kale (by squeezing it) until the kale is broken down - it will reduce in size. 3. Salt to taste and serve. As for the cherries that are arriving for those of us with fruit shares, I humbly recommend my cherry upside down cake, aka the birthday cake for Ringo Starr. Posted for Week 6 2010, it remains in the Top 10 most visited pages on NoshCon. The cake is a decadent butter cake and not for the faint of heart (or high of cholesterol), but it is worth adding to your repertoire for each bite of moist perfection. Step 4: Storage Your cabbage will keep in your crisper indefinitely, though your Chinese cabbage may need to be eaten sooner. Your beets without their greens will also keep indefinitely or they can be pickled and kept even longer. Your green beans and green peas can be flash blanched and frozen, as can your summer squash and
Your green beans and green peas can be flash blanched and frozen, as can your summer squash and zucchini. Alternatively, the latter can be pickled as follows: Bread-and-Butter Zucchini From the Joy of Pickling by Linda Ziedrich 4 pounds zucchini, 1 inch in diameter, sliced into 3/16 inch rounds (about 2 quarts) 3/4 lbs small onions, slice into thin rounds (about 2 cups) 1/4 cup pickling salt 2 1/4 cups cider vinegar 1 1/4 cups sugar 1 T whole yellow mustard seeds 1 tsp whole celery seeds 1 tsp ground turmeric 1. Put the zucchini and onions into a bowl and toss the vegetables with the salt.. Cover the vegetables with ice cubes from 2 ice trays. Let the vegetables stand at room temperature for 2 hours. 2. Drain the vegetables well. In a nonreactive pot, bring to a boil the vinegar, sugar and spices. Add the vegetables and, over medium heat, slowly bring them to a boil, stirring frequently. Simmer them for 5 to 7 minutes, until the bright skin of the zucchini turns olive. 3. Ladle the vegetables and liquid into pint mason jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Close the jars with twopiece caps. In a boiling-water bath, process the jars for 10 minutes. Or pasteurize the jars for 30 minutes by immersing them in water heated to 180 to 185 F. 4. Store cooled jars in a cool, dry, dark place for at least 3 weeks before eating the pickles. After opening a jar, store it in the refrigerator. From here on out, I'll try to have one pickling recipe for you per week. Though I highly recommend Central Air for full on processing, our mothers and grandmothers did without and we can, too. Alternatively, make a large green salad, throw in everything but the kitchen sink and call it a day. It should be delicious. Until next week, Leah the Nosher Roasted Sweet Onions from Julia Child "... a very simple one [recipe] that I (Julia Child) use a great deal, which is just roasting a whole onion. It's such an easy way to do them and they're so delicious." 1 large sweet onion 1/2 tablespoon cheese, grated Olive oil, to taste Salt and pepper 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary (or any herb of choice) Pierce a whole sweet onion in five or six places with a knife. Put it as is either in a 450 degree oven for 45 minutes (this method will caramelize) Remove from oven;; cut it in half or open it up. Sprinkle it with grated cheese and olive oil or butter, herbs, salt and pepper. Beet and Walnut Salad (from friends at Willow Pond Farm CSA) 2-3 C beets. peeled. cubed. and cooked 2 tart apples. cored and cubed 1/2 C feta cheese. crumbled 1/2 C walnuts 1/3 C scallions, thinly sliced 1/4 C flat leaf parsley 1/3 C basic vinaigrette dressing Mix fruit and vegetables. Drizzle on dressing. Stir to coat. Serve on bed of
Mix fruit and vegetables. Drizzle on dressing. Stir to coat. Serve on bed of lettuce or sprouts.
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