This Week’s Share

Beets
Carrots
Chard
Cilantro
Garlic
Mizuna
Onions
Mixed Peppers
Potatoes
Winter Squash

Beets (Kestral) – These rich red roots are rather ripe in Vitamin C, potassium and folic acid! Beet the system and mash them along with potatoes for pink mashed potatoes. I like to grate them raw for a crunchy salad topping.

Fun Fact for kids – If you eat your beets it makes your pee turn pink!

Carrots – Many of you have noticed the pesky brown lines across your carrots and have asked what that is. It is most likely damage caused by the larva of a carrot rust fly, Psila rosae. This small fly literally smells our carrot fields and lays its eggs at the base of the carrots. Upon hatching they happily make their way down to the roots and tunnel away. The carrots were a bit slow to size up early this spring and have been in the ground longer then usual making them more susceptible to this pest. This week we begin harvesting from our later plantings so you should see less damage. Read more about the carrot rust fly.

For the Kids – What do you do when the carrots go on strike? You Picket.

Chard – Don’t pass up the greens! This is the time of year to LOVE them. Wondering how to get your kids and other skeptics to enjoy these nutritionally wonderful leaves? See the recipe that follows.

For the Kids – Botanists have developed a green vegetable that eliminates the need to brush your teeth. Bristle sprouts.

Cilantro – Along with a bevy of medicinal qualities this worldly herb is integral to flavors in Mexican, Indian, Egyptian, and Chinese cooking. Use your ‘ladies handful’ in your cosmopolitan kitchen to season baked fish, chicken soup, or squash curry. Its flavor is lost when over cooked so add it at the end.

For the Kids – The origin of the name for Cilantro comes from Coriander, Koros in Greek which means bedbug…yum bedbugs!

Garlic – This will be the last of the garlic for the season. Unfortunately a portion of our garlic harvest was diseased and therefore did not store well. To combat this issue we bought new garlic seed for next season. A fresh start will hopefully secure a bountiful garlic harvest next season.

For the Kids – “Egyptian slaves built the pyramids on a diet of garlic, bread and water.”

Mizuna – Mizuna is a mild relative to mustard greens and can be eaten raw or slightly wilted. Also delicious stuffed in a sandwich, tossed with fresh pasta, wilted with sautéed mushrooms or stirred into Miso soup.

For the Kids – What does the letter “A” have in common with a flower? They both have bees coming after them.

Onions (Copra) – Don’t let these storage beauties make you cry. Here is a collection of some reasonable to wacky suggestions I have heard to avoid stinging eyes: place in the freezer for 5 minutes before cutting, hold a piece of bread in you mouth while you cut, don’t cut across the root zone (this releases more sulphuric compounds), soak in milk before cutting, cut onion underwater (you or the onion I am not sure)!

For the Kids – What can you make from baked beans and onions? Tear gas.

Peppers – You should have seen it last Friday. Beautiful blue skies, crisp air and Scott, dedicated to every last pepper in the field, tirelessly bringing in load after load of sweet peppers lest the coming frosts beat us to them. With help from Shari and Michael we should have another week of peppers to let the sweetness of summer linger in your stir fry and salads, At farm lunches we have been enjoying them sautéed in plain ‘ol olive oil and salt and put on anything from pasta, potato soup, cheese sandwiches and beans!

For the Kids – Where did the vegetables go to have a few drinks? The Salad Bar.

Potatoes (Sangre) – Americans eat about 125 pounds of potatoes a year making them the most commonly consumed vegetable. It is also my favorite food, in the form of French fries! High in many vitamins and minerals (pssst…leave the skins on) potatoes get a bad rap by the diet industry. It is not the potato itself but how we like to prepare them, fried, cheesy, buttered, that makes the potato a potential heart throb. Go for simple steaming or baking and top with yogurt instead of sour cream.

For the Kids – Why do potatoes make good detectives? Because they keep their eyes peeled.

Winter Squash (Zeppelin) – The squash will keep coming till CSA ends the first week of December. This week is a Delicata variety, so sweet and delicious. You can eat the skins so no troublesome peeling needed. Simply cut into rings, remove the seeds, toss with olive oil and salt, place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 until tender.

For the Kids – Why did the Squash go out with a prune? Because he couldn’t find a date!

Recipes 

Candy is Dandy but Vegetables make you Sweeter!

I admit it…I am the neighbor who hands out apples on Halloween, boxes of raisins, a penny even. But oh no! not Snickers bars and tootsie rolls….those I save for my dark hours hidden in my sock drawer where no one can see me. Even as I write this now, extolling the virtues of chard and beets I am frantically devouring my Newman’s Mint-O’s quickly before my housemates smell the processed junk food on my breath. In my defense I cry out, “But I had Bok choi in my dinner!”

No one is a purist and so it can be a challenge to get those reticent to try a new vegetable to do what we know is good for them. Like, umm, try a new vegetable. A friend and I, after both working with young people to educate them about local agriculture and nutrition started trying recipes in which to ‘hide’ healthy foods in comfortable foods such as Macn’Cheese, mashed potatoes, pizza and soups…Here are a few recipes that we came up.

Healthier MacN’Cheese

1 box elbow macaroni
2 steamed or roasted winter squash (pumpkin works best, but you can use any of the squash you find in your share), seeded, skinned and pureed
2 cloves garlic, diced
one onion, diced
1 cup Plain Yogurt (either full fat or non-fat depending on your preference)
2 tbsp. Olive oil
1 cup grated cheddar cheese plus some to garnish top
1 tsp mustard
1 cup finely chopped chard or other greens
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 º. Cook the macaroni. Lightly cover the bottom of a small pot with oil and sauté diced onion at medium-low until onion is transparent. Add chopped greens and stir till wilted. Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit. Mash in yogurt and squash, add mustard and garlic while mixing the contents at low heat. Stir the noodles with your sauce adding cheese as you do this. Pour into a baking dish and top with extra cheese and bake for 20 minutes or till heated through.

‘Creamy’ Greens

I made this for a recent farm lunch and a co-worker said he liked it so much because it didn’t taste like greens…

1 Bunch greens (one or a mix of chard, collards, kale, mustard…)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper
2 tbs olive oil
6 oz silken tofu or 8 oz whole milk yogurt
A mix of sweet peppers, chopped

Bring 5 cups of water to boil and add chopped onion and greens. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, get your blender/food processor out. Begin gently sautéing red peppers in olive oil with a dash of salt. Let slowly cook while you prepare the rest of the dish. Remove greens from heat and let cool a bit. In batches, puree scoops of kale/onion and liquid with tofu (or yogurt) and raw garlic. Return pureed mixture to pot and stir in red peppers. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Members Who Receive Boxed Shares

Its time for another blue and purple bin round-up. Please bring back any bins that have lingered in your homes to your next pick-up.

From the Fields

It was a beautiful week with mostly clear skies, cold wind and a warm sun. Clear skies also mean cold nights and we had our first kiss of frost. New winterized boots, shiny new waterproof gear and long underwear are also back in fashion on the farm as our hands and feet adapt to the shifting season.

The flashy summer crops are still sweet in our memory as the corn stands brown, the tomatoes droop black with blight and the unripe melons compost their way back into the soil. The season dictates our dinner as we divert out palates to earthy roots, savory greens, and rich squash. I find myself excited to cook again after all the raw salads and sliced fruits of summer.

This Week’s Share

Carrots
Choi
Dill
Fennel
Garlic
Kale
Leeks
Peppers
Pumpkins
Tomatoes

Carrots – Seems like they just keep getting sweeter. Full of beta-carotene they should help your early morning commute, but please continue using your headlights, there are non-CSA members on the road too.

Choi – These heads of Mei Qing choi are oh, so juicy. Nice in a quick stir fry, or raw as a celery substitute snack smothered in peanut butter.

Dill – A plant whose name is derived from the Norse word ‘dylla’ meaning ‘to soothe’ can be placed over your closed tired eyes to help you sleep soundly. Dill goes great baked with salmon, crushed garlic, thinly sliced bulb fennel, and lemon juice.

Fennel – Bulb fennel is perfect quickly sautéed with apples and served along side a dish that is just a bit salty like sausage, bacon, or smoked salmon.

Garlic – A timely share item for both keeping colds at bay and heating up dinners on these colder fall nights. If you feel like you are getting a cold or the flu try adding one crushed clove of garlic, a tablespoon each of lemon juice and honey to some hot water and sip away.

Kale – The variety in your share is Lacinato kale. Try sautéed with onions and garlic until tender and then serve with some apple cider vinegar, baked beans, corn bread and mashed pumpkin for a nice vegetarian comfort meal.

Leeks – With a climate very similar to our own, France is the world’s leader in leek production, but they have nothing on these blue leaved beauties grown right here at SIO. I can feel my ankles swelling with pride, an equivalent French expression to our “someone’s getting a big head”.

Peppers – This week’s mix of sweet and hot peppers will work great in any Mexican cuisine. Hot peppers will include cayennes and jalapenos. If you can not use all your jalapenos try dicing and freezing. Peppers will be in your shares until our first frost.

Pumpkins – Pumpkins are named after a Greek word meaning mushroom and short for its original North American name “askutasquash” not to be confused with sasquatch. This variety, Snack Jack, has hull less seeds which make great toasted pepitas full of linoleic and oleic acid, protein, vitamin E, iron, zinc, and selenium.

Tomatoes – A last one or two tomatoes will be in this week’s share, savor them on a tomato, mayo, dill sandwich. We say farewell to tomatoes until next summer.

Note- Although Hakurei turnips are in the photo above they will not be in your share this week. The bed we were to harvest from had much more disease and pest damage then we previously thought; making most of the turnips unusable.

Recipes

Pumpkin Pie
Adapted from Southernfood.about.com

1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup evaporated milk, undiluted
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 unbaked pastry shell (9-inch)

Combine pumpkin, sugar, salt, spices, and flour in a medium mixing bowl. Add eggs; mix well. Add evaporated milk, water, and vanilla; mix well. Pour into pastry-lined pie pan. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350° and bake about 35 minutes longer, or until center is set.

Pumpkin Kibbeh
Adapted from chowhound.com

2 cups mashed pumpkin or squash
1 cups fine bulgur (soak in boiling water, drain before adding 2 tsp salt)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon allspice
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 medium onion chopped
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup flour
Olive oil (for greasing)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the pumpkin, bulgur, salt, pepper, coriander, allspice, cumin, cayenne, onion, garlic, and flour in a food processor until thoroughly blended. (Alternatively, in a large bowl mix all these ingredients by hand.) Taste for seasoning and add more salt or spices as required. If the mixture seems too moist, add a little bit more flour and mix it in.

Grease an 8-inch square pan with olive oil. Pour the mixture into it, smooth the surface and pour a tablespoon of olive oil over the top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the surface looks dry. (The inside will be moist.) Alternatively you can form the mixture into 2-inch patties and fry them in olive oil.

From the Fields

This last week we received close to 2 inches of rain on the farm which really halted tractor work for a bit. So it turned out to be a week of scheduled tractor and farm vehicle maintenance. Even so, the crew dodged raindrops and pulled in a great harvest. Inside the dry barn garlic heads were ‘popped’ into individual cloves to be used as seed. Beds have been ready for the garlic planting, and the forecast looks favorable for them to dry out a bit and get planted this week. The Hay Grove high tunnels were vented during those gusty days and still remain standing. That is great news for all of us, especially for the new salad greens just transplanted under them. A minor accomplishment was bringing a pick-up truck load of used tractor motor oil and filters to the metro waste transfer station. The employees there are really interesting and full of great information and suggestions to make all of our operations even more environmentally friendly. Please visit them often with any of your household hazardous wastes. I was very pleased and a quite proud that we have absolutely no pesticide or herbicide waste, it is very rewarding knowing that the food we grow is indeed grown in a very healthy way. Thank you, shareholders for choosing our farm and for keeping our working conditions safe.

CSA Pick-up Note

There have already been a few questions about the Thanksgiving week pick-up. So mark your calendars because for the week of Thanksgiving all pick-ups take place on Tuesday November 20th- same time and place just a different day for many of you. This allows everyone to get their produce in a timely manner for the holiday and allows our crew to enjoy the holiday with friends and family.

This Week’s Share

• Carrots
• Celery
• Garlic
• Lettuce
• Onions
• Peppers
• Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Winter Squash

Carrots – The carrots in your share this week were seeded in early July. We seed carrots with an Earthway push seeder in three lines across a 3 foot wide bed top. The seeds are watered in and the bed top is kept moist during germination. A week after the carrots have been seeded, we use a propane flamer to burn back any weed seeds that may have germinated. This makes for a cleaner bed for the carrots to grow in. It is essential that we get our timing right on the flaming, so as not to burn any germinating carrots. If all goes well the carrot seeds will germinate and grow a little, we’ll do one hand weed and a weekly watering and cultivation, and then some 3 months later, you’ll have carrots on your table.

Chard – Did you know that chard and beets are one and the same species? Breed for a big round root and Beta vulgaris is called a beet, breed for a more tender leafy green and you get chard.

Celery – This year has been exceptionally good for “Tall Utah”. I don’t know if it’s due to its location – between two Brussels sprout beds or if it’s just liked our cool, wet fall weather.

Garlic – Garlic is considered either “softneck” or “hardneck”. Softneck Garlic produce 6-18 cloves in several layers around a soft central stem. Hardneck garlic typically produce 5-9 cloves per head. They grow in a single circle around a central woody stem. These varieties also produce, or attempt to produce, a flower stalk. Hardneck garlics have a shorter storage life than softnecks. This week’s variety is Silverskin a softneck variety.

Lettuce – This week will be the last for head lettuce this season. Enjoy a crisp, leafy salad this week of Red Cross (butter) and Magenta (summercrisp), and look forward to next May’s harvest of head lettuces. Planning for those lettuce plantings and harvests is just around the corner as we begin our 2008 crop plan. We hope to include some new lettuce varieties in our plan for 2008 from the lettuce variety trials we worked on this year with Seeds of Change.

Onions – If you attended the allium planting party in April of this year, then these onions are the bulbs of your labor.

Peppers – Try broiling, skinning, and freezing for a great treat this winter.

Potatoes – Why didn’t the mother potato want her daughter to marry the famous newscaster? Because he was a commontater.

Tomatoes – Eddie, one of the chefs at Caffe Allora first requested the San Marzano variety of sauce tomato that we’ve been growing this year. They are the tomato he knew best growing up in Rome. This year we grew all the San Marzanos under our Haygrove high tunnels. The added bit of heat and protection from the fall rains has made for a bountiful harvest. We’re doing a BIG pick this week before we get a frost that will put an end to tomato season. So make tomato soup, or pasta sauce, or pizza… Buon appetito!

Winter Squash – Sugarloaf is a Delicata type squash and they are exceptionally sweet. There are many winter squash recipes that I love – winter squash risotto, winter squash ravioli, winter squash enchiladas to name a few. But these are so good that I really encourage you to try them in their simplest form, just cut in half and de-seed, oil the cut side lightly, place cut side down on a baking sheet, and bake at 375 until you can push a fork into the flesh through the skin with ease. For a full description of all the varieties we grow see last week’s blog.

Recipes

Slow Roasted Tomatoes
Adapted from Deborah Madison’s Local Flavors

1 1/2 lbs San Marzanos
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon chopped oregano, thyme, or marjoram
1 garlic clove

– Preheat the oven to 300.
– Oil a large shallow baking dish.
– Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise
– Set them in the baking dish cut side up and brush with olive oil, using about 1 tablespoon in all.
– Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
– Bake for a couple of hours, uncovered.
– Check after the first hour and drizzle with a little more oil if the tomatoes look dry.

Try using the roasted tomatoes on pasta, pizza, or in soup. Or freeze them for the winter months ahead.

Chard Gratin
Adapted from Alice Water’s Chez Panisse Vegetables

1 big bunch of chard
1 clove of garlic
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons flour
whole nutmeg
salt and pepper
3/4 cup toasted bread crumbs

-Preheat the oven to 375.
-Cut off the stems.
-Cook the chard in lightly salted, boiling water for a quick 90 seconds.
-Drain the chard and squeeze out the water from the leaves.
-Chop into 3/4 inch pieces.
-Peel and mince the garlic.
-Melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet and saute the chard, turning as the chard wilts.
-Add the garlic and cook for 7-8 more minutes uncovered, until the chard leaves have just softened.
-Warm the milk in a small sauce pan.
-Sprinkle the flour over the chard and stir it in.
-Cook for another minute and then add the milk, one quarter cup at a time, as it is absorbed by the chard.
-Season the chard with a light grating of nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
-Transfer to a buttered gratin dish (the chard should be about 1 inch thick).
-Cover evenly with bread crumbs.
-Bake for 35 minutes until the crumbs have browned.

From the Fields

I have had a close eye on the thermometer lately. Rumors of an early winter and a field full of winter squash have kept me on edge. But so far, we have hovered in the mid-forties at night and last week we got all the winter squash tucked safely into big bins under the cover of the pole barn roof. That’s all 7,648 of them. We have also been working on an experimental planting of salad greens in the Haygrove high tunnels. In the past the salad greens we harvest in mid-November to early December have been direct seeded. The direct seeded greens don’t compete as well with weeds at this time of year. They also grow close together when they are direct seeded, which makes for less airflow, leading to more disease and rot. This year we are transplanting all 15 of the Haygrove beds. It’s lots of work up front, but hopefully will pay off in less time weeding and healthier plants. We are still trying to find time for onion and garlic planting – our last big field projects for the season. Once our last planting of the season is done, we will focus primarily on harvesting the crops that are still out in the fields. And as for those rumors of an early winter, many of the crops that are still out in the field; the Brussels sprouts, the collards, the parsnips, the kale and carrots, will all be sweeter as the thermometer drops. So if you are mourning for those last tomatoes, know that the fall bounty is still on its way and has its own sweetness to savor.

This Week’s Share

• Beets
• Carrots
• Cilantro
• Fennel
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Garlic
• Onions
• Peppers
• Tomatoes
• Winter Squash

Beets- Kestrel is a sweet, earthy red beet. Your beets will be topped because the greens this time of year are a bit ragged. We top them in the fields, allowing the greens to compost right back into the soil.

Carrots – Carrots too will come topped. You will see this staple in your share until December.

Cilantro – This is the last cilantro of the season. Enjoy that last batch of salsa.

Fennel – Fennel is coming back around for fall. You will have 2 bulbs in your share with with tops still on.

Kale – We grow three different varieties of kale: Lacinato, Red Ursa and Winterbor. This week you will have Winterbor, a green curly leafed variety.

Lettuce – Lettuce will be in your share for about three more weeks.

Garlic – The garlic you are eating today was planted in October 2006! And we are getting ready to plant the garlic you will be eating in 2008. We select our largest heads from each variety we grow and save them for seed. First we separate all the individual cloves and again choose the largest cloves to plant. Garlic is planted in October for a July harvest and then we cure and store it to distribute all season long.

Onions – This week’s variety is Copra. It is a yellow storage onion. Each week you will receive either onions or leeks in your share. These alliums are a great jumping off place for many delicious dishes.

Peppers – Peppers are always worth the wait. We watch these fruits for months hanging from their plants. When will they begin to turn colors? Then finally when we begin to feel fall in the air the peppers color-up and their sweetness is celebratory.

Tomatoes – The last of the red slicing tomatoes are coming your way.

Winter Squash- The winter squash is in! We grow 5 varieties of winter squash and 2 varieties of pie pumpkin. Winter squash will be in your shares through December. This week’s variety is Mesa Queen an acorn squash.
Winter squash comes in shapes round and elongated, scalloped and pear-shaped with flesh that ranges from golden-yellow to brilliant orange. Most winter squashes are vine-type plants whose fruits are harvested when fully mature. They take longer to mature than summer squash (3 months or more) and are best harvested once the cool weather of fall sets in. Winter squash have hard, thick skins. They can be stored for months in a cool basement-hence the name “winter” squash.

Winter squash can be cut in halves or pieces. Too cook them, first remove fibers and seeds; then bake, steam, or boil the squash. When water is used in cooking, the quantity of water should be kept small to avoid losing flavor and nutrients. Acorn and butternut squash are frequently cut in half, baked, and served in the shell. Squash pulp is also used for pies and may be prepared in casseroles, soufflés, pancakes, and custards.

Below is some information about the varieties you will see in your baskets gleaned from http://whatscookingamerica.net/squash.htm:

Acorn (Mesa Queen) – As its name suggests, this winter squash is shaped like an acorn. This is a great baking squash, it’s easy to slice into halves and fill with butter. A small acorn squash weighs from 1 to 3 pounds, and has sweet, slightly fibrous flesh. Its distinct ribs run the length of its hard, blackish-green or golden-yellow skin.
 

Butternut (Metro PMR) – Beige colored and shaped like a vase. This is a more watery squash and tastes somewhat similar to sweet potatoes. It has a bulbous end and pale, creamy skin, with a choice, fine-textured, deep-orange flesh with a sweet, nutty flavor. It weighs from 2 to 5 pounds. Oh, and the PMR, that stands for powdery mildew resistant plants, just in case you were wondering.

Delicata (Sugar Loaf and Zeppelin) – Also called Sweet Potato, Peanut squash, and Bohemian squash. This is one of the tastier winter squashes, with creamy pulp that tastes a bit like sweet potatoes. Size may range from 5 to 10 inches in length. The squash can be baked or steamed. The skin is also edible. The delicata squash is actually an heirloom variety, a fairly recent reentry into the culinary world. It was originally introduced by the Peter Henderson Company of New York City in 1894, and was popular through the 1920s. Then it fell into obscurity for about seventy-five years, possibly because of its thinner, more tender skin, which isn’t suited to transportation over thousands of miles and storage over months.

Hubbard (Baby Blue) – The extra-hard skins make them one of the best keeping winter squashes. These are very large and irregularly shaped, with a skin that is quite “warted” and irregular. They have a blue/gray skin, and taper at the ends. Like all winter squash, they have an inedible skin, large, fully developed seeds that must be scooped out, and a dense flesh.

Kubocha (Sunshine) – Kabocha is the generic Japanese word for squash, but refers most commonly to a squash of the buttercup type. Kobocha Squash may be cooked whole or split lengthwise (removing seeds). It has a rich sweet flavor, and often dry and flaky when cooked. Use in any dish in which buttercup squash would work.

Pumpkin (Baby Bear and SnackJack) – We’re growing two varieties this season, New England Pie and Snack Jack. The New England Pie is a standard pie pumpkin, a sweet, and moist. Snack Jack also makes great pies and soups but has the added bonus of hulless seeds. These seeds are the “pepitas” you can buy in the store, delicious toasted or raw as a snack or in salads and sauces.

Recipes

Acorn Squash Hush Puppies
Adapted from www.cdkitchen.com

1 Acorn squash (1-3/4 lb size)
2 cups Self-rising cornmeal
1/4 cup All-purpose flour
1 large Egg; lightly beaten
1/2 cup Milk
1/2 cup Onion; finely chopped
Vegetable oil

Cut acorn squash in half crosswise; remove from seeds. Place squash, cut side down, in a shallow baking dish or pan. Add water to baking dish to depth of 1/2 inch. Bake at 375F for 45 minutes or until tender. Drain.

Scoop out pulp, discarding shells. Place pulp in container of an electric blender or food processor; process until smooth. Measure 1-1/4 cups squash puree; set aside. Reserve any additional puree for other uses.

Combine cornmeal and flour in a bowl; make a well in center. Set aside. Combine squash puree, egg, milk, and onion. Add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

Pour oil to a depth of 2 inches in a Dutch oven; heat to 360F. Drop mixture by tablespoonfuls into hot oil. Cook 2 minutes or until golden, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Makes 2 dozen

Carrots and Fennel
Adapted from www.allrecipes.com

1 teaspoon olive oil
3 carrots, shredded
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and diced
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/3 cup heavy cream

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the carrots and fennel, and season with coriander and fennel seeds. Cook until lightly browned. Mix in the heavy cream, and reduce heat to low. Simmer about 5 minutes until the cream has been absorbed into the carrots and fennel. Serve hot.

Josh’s Tomato Salsa

3 cups peeled, cored, chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup seeded, chopped green chiles
3 Tbsp chopped onion
2 tsp finely chopped, seeded, jalapeños
1 tsp fresh cilantro
3 Tbsp bottled lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp salt

Combine all ingredients cilantro in a large pot and bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add cilantro and simmer for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Again About the Eggs

Unfortunately our eggs shares have come to an end. I am sorry for the short notice but Kookoolan Farm just let us know this weekend that they will no longer be delivering eggs to us. As stated previously, all members will be reimbursed for any eggs they did not receive. Sorry for the inconvenience.

From the Fields

Your shares are beginning to look a lot like fall. Tomatoes and peppers are giving their last wave to summer. In the weeks to come your shares will be filled with many different kinds of root vegetables, cooking greens, winter squash, pumpkins, potatoes, alliums (onions, leeks, shallots and garlic) and Brussels sprouts. As we continue to harvest this season’s bounty our thoughts turn to the 2008 season. In the next few weeks we will be planting spring 2008 sweet onions and the garlic for 2008.

Community News

Yes on Measure 49
Now, this one hits close to home, folks. Dozen of Measure 37 claims have been made on Sauvie Island potentially effecting thousands of prime agricultural acreage. If we want to eat local we have to maintain land in ag production. Once we pave it, we have lost it. We urge you to get out and vote Yes on Measure 49. For more information please visit www.yeson49.com

In your share:

• Carrots
• Celery
• Chard
• Corn
• Eggplant
• Leeks
• Lettuce
• Peppers
• Potatoes
• Tomatoes

Carrots- Hope you’re not tired of the carrots, because there’s no end in sight; when we are harvesting the carrots now, we can look out across a little sea of waving green carrot tops that comprise the next 3 months’ worth of carrots in your weekly share.

Celery- This week you will be getting a full celery plant, rather than the bunch of stalks, so make good! The celery seems to be getting tastier by the week as the stalks fill with water and become milder and more succulent. Celery is a key ingredient in so many great soups, and with this bout of rainy weather it seems that the soup season has arrived. Also check out the recipe for eggplant cabonata below.

Chard- Colorful, delicious, and healthful, chard is back in the shares, the variety we tend to grow appropriately being named “Ruby Red.” Sauté the leaves as you would kale, and try treating the red stalks like asparagus, separating them from the leaf and steaming or roasting them.

Corn- Last week of corn! Silver Queen is the variety this week, and it is really, really good. The summer seemed to fly by, it seems like the corn just got here and now it is already gone. If you would like to preserve the taste of summer corn for the cold months ahead, it is very easy. Just cut the kernels off the cob, put into a freezer bag, and toss it in the freezer for later.

Eggplant- If you’ve been unable to keep your eggplant consumption up to pace with the amount you’ve been getting in your share, be sure to check out my recipe for cabonata below, or last week’s newsletter for baba ghanoush.

Leeks- We are distributing the King Richard leeks now, and later on you will start to see the blue-green Tedorna leeks in your share, as they tend to hold better out in the field. Try using leeks as you would onions, but you can add them a little later as their flavor is less pungent and tastes good when cooked less.

Lettuce- All of our lettuce for the rest of the season is now planted out, so what was once a weekly routine of planting lettuce each Friday is now over. You will see lettuce in your share through this month and then it will be replaced with more winter-hardy greens like spinach and kale.

Peppers- It is the sad reality of the Pacific Northwest that by the time peppers arrive the summer heat has gone, but maybe some spicy food will be good to warm us all up. On top of the sweet peppers, this week is the big hot pepper week, so I will break it down by variety a bit:

Jalapenos are my favorite pepper by far. If I have it on hand, I will add it in almost any dish, often tossing it with chopped garlic to sauté in the initial stages. It has a sweet, fresh flavor on top of its characteristic tangy spice.
Cayennes are more familiar to us dried as a powder or in flakes, but they are versatile and delicious fresh. Don’t be afraid! They have long been considered medicinal by many cultures, and indeed they are high in antioxidants, stimulate endorphins and weight loss, and they are a sialagogue, which means they help you to manufacture saliva.
Poblanos are also known as Ancho peppers when they are dried. They have so many uses. Stuffed and baked, fried as rellenos (see recipe from 2 weeks ago), stir-fried, or use them to make a homemade mole sauce! There is a huge variety of recipes at http://poblanorecipes.blogspot.com/.

Potatoes- All of our potatoes have now been harvested! You will start seeing potatoes in your share every other week from now until the end of the season, so you can look forward to trying out all of the varieties we grew this year: Yellow Finn, Yukon Gold, and German Butterball are all yellow potatoes; Sangres are red-skinned with white flesh inside; and Canellas are a russet-style potato with brownish skin.

Tomatoes- Hopefully we will have a few more weeks of delicious tomatoes to remind us of summer. If you haven’t had a chance yet, canning tomatoes is so fun and interesting. I just learned how to do it this last month, and it is really a rewarding way to spend an afternoon. A less time intensive option is to cook some tomatoes down and freeze them in jars, just be sure to leave more room at the top than you would canning.

Recipe:

Eggplant Caponata
Adapted from www.kashrut.com and www.newitalianrecipes.com

This is a very tasty Italian dish said to have originated in Sicily, but it is now popular throughout Italy. It uses a variety of veggies found in your share this week, and makes a great appetizer or a side dish served with a meat entree.

2 eggplant, cut into 1 inch cubes
3 T olive oil
2 leeks, chopped
4-5 large garlic cloves, minced
2 large peppers, poblano or sweet, chopped
2 large celery stalks, chopped
2 T capers
1/4 c green olives, pitted and sliced
1 1/2 c diced tomatoes, preferably san marzanos, or tomato sauce
1/2 c red wine vinegar
1 T sugar
1 T cocoa powder
1/4 cup fresh chopped or dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a colander, toss the cubed eggplant in about 2 T salt. Shake to coat evenly. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and while it is preheating let the eggplant sit and drain in the sink. Wipe off some of the salt and moisture from the cubes of eggplant and bake on a greased pan for 35 minutes.

While eggplant is done baking, begin sautéing chopped leeks and garlic in the olive oil over medium-low heat. After about 4 minutes, add the celery, peppers, olives and capers and continue to cook for 3 minutes.

Combine the vinegar and sugar and pour it over the veggies. When the liquid is reduced by half, add the eggplant, basil, and cocoa powder. After a minute or two, add the tomatoes or sauce and continue to cook for ten minutes or so, until it has reached a thick, saucy consistency. Serve with toasted pita or garlic bread.

If You Get Eggs Please Read

Eggs like vegetables are a seasonal product. As day light hours decrease chickens begin to molt. Molting is when the chickens put calcium into new feather production instead of egg production. This process has begun at Kookoolan Farm (our egg suppliers) a bit earlier then they expected. Due to the chickens decreased egg production all CSA members who currently receive 1 dozen eggs a week will now only receive ½ dozen a week. Kookoolan is hoping to have eggs available through November but will keep us appraised of how the chickens are doing. Since you have all pre-paid through the first week of December, Sauvie Island Organics will reimburse each member for any eggs they have paid for but do not receive. Any questions please email the office at siorganics@aol.com 

Transitions

This time of year is a huge transition for us on the farm, as Becky, Vanessa, and Kylie have all completed their apprentices. Becky and Vanessa, our two inspiring and awesome second-year apprentices, are both going to pursue new adventures in agriculture, and Kylie, our great buddy and summer apprentice, will be undertaking some as-yet-undecided course. We had a party out at the farm this last weekend to thank them, see them off, and wish them all well.

For the first year apprentices, Michael, Brian, and me (Blake), this means enormous shoes to fill, as well as a smaller crew to do all of the things around here that need doing, so it will be interesting. It also means that Brian and I have taken over the responsibility of going to the CSA pick ups, so people who pick up at the Friendly House Community Center will be seeing me regularly, and Brian will be at the SE Elliott pick up.

Of course, that is not the only transition happening out at the farm. Things around here are looking downright autumnal. Not only that, we have begun clipping winter squash! The fruits are clipped off the vine and “windrowed”, placed in line to cure and develop the thicker skins they will need to hold through the next months. They will be in your share in the weeks to come.

Community News

CSA member Jennifer Erickson wants to let you all know about the call for new members for the 2008 Portland/Multnomah County Food Policy Council.

The Portland Multnomah Food Policy Council provides policy advice to both local governments on food-related matters that impact land use, health, the environment, jobs and other issues. The Council currently consists of 16 members who are appointed by Commissioners Dan Saltzman and Jeff Cogen from the City and County respectively. The Council is jointly staffed by the City and County and charged with providing input and advice on City and County food-related issues.

Priorities for 2008 are expected to include:
• local land use policies and their impact on the food system;
• methods for building regional demand for locally produced foods and food products;
• City and County food purchasing policies and practices;
• the availability of healthy, affordable food to all residents; and
• the capacity of local communities to engage in healthy food practices.

If you are interested in ensuring government policies support access to local food and have a few hours per month available to commit to the cause, the Portland/Multnomah Food Policy Council needs you! Fill out the “Interest Form for City Boards” form and check the “Food Policy Council” box. Applications are due no later than October 26, 2007.

To learn more about the FPC, contact Steve Cohen, City of Portland Office of Sustainable Development at (503) 823-4225 or check out the FPC web page.

City Dog, Inc (“So Many Smells So Little Time”)

CSA member Amy Aycrigg runs City Dog, Inc. She welcomes dogs into her home for kennel-free boarding where they become part of the family. Your dog will enjoy walking in the neighborhood on leash or going to Forest Park for a romp. Four-legged guests are given plenty of TLC. Email Amy at adaycrigg@hotmail.com if you are interested in finding out more about City Dog, Inc. or view her website.

This Week’s Share

• Carrots
• Celery
• Corn
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Leeks
• Lettuce
• Peppers, hot
• Summer Squash
• Tomatoes

Carrots – Do not let summer go by without putting some carrots on the barbeque.

Celery – Because of its strong flavor this celery is best used like an herb.

Corn – This week the variety is Luscious. It is a bi-color variety.

Cucumbers – The plants that have worked so hard to bring you their crisp goodness this season are on their way out, so enjoy the last of the cucumbers.

Eggplant – Nadia and/or Orient Express will make your casseroles, sauces, and stir fries superb this week. Try roasting them in the oven with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, yum!

Leeks – They have arrived. The King Richard leeks are making their debut this week. Leeks will be in your shares often throughout the fall. As the weather turns cold a leek’s mild flavor can be perfect for warm soups.

Lettuce – Head lettuce is back, it will be on your table regularly into October.

Peppers – Hot peppers are in your share this week. Tiburon, are poblano peppers, see the recipe section for some delicious chili rellenos! There is also a cayenne and/or jalapeño this week.

Summer Squash – Like the cucumbers, the squash plants are getting tired. Enjoy the last few.

Tomatoes – The tomatoes are in full swing, trying to keep up with these productive plants can prove to be a daunting task. This week you will receive a variety of heirlooms and some slicers. The San Marzannos (great for sauces and roasting) will be coming to some of you this week and others the following week. This allows us to give out more at one time so you can make sauce.

Recipes

CHILIES RELLENOS DE QUESO
Adapted from Cooks.com

2 chilies, roasted and peeled
1 1/3 oz cheese, Monterey jack
oil, for frying
1 eggs, separated
1 cup flour, all purpose

Tomato Sauce

1 1/3 pounds (about 2 or 3) tomatoes, peeled
1 medium onion
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
pinch of cloves, ground

For the preparation of the tomato sauce, combine tomatoes, onion and garlic in blender or food processor and blend to a puree. Heat oil in a medium saucepan, add tomato mixture. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth, salt, cloves and cinnamon. Simmer gently 15 minutes.

Cut a tiny slit in one side of each pepper to remove seeds, leaving stems on and then dry on paper towels. Cut cheese into long thin sticks, one for each pepper and place one stick in each. If the peppers are loose and open, wrap around cheese and fasten with a wooden toothpick.

Pour oil 1/4″ deep into large heavy pan and heat to 365 F.

Beat egg whites in a medium bowl until stiff. Beat egg yolks lightly in a small bowl and fold into the beaten egg whites, gently but thoroughly.

Roll peppers in flour, and then dip in egg mixture to coat. Fry in the hot oil until golden brown, turning with a spatula. Drain on paper towels.

Serve immediately topped with tomato sauce.
 

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
Adapted from The Improvisational Cook

2lbs ripe or nearly ripe tomatoes (about 6 regular tomatoes)
Extra virgin olive oil
About ½ teaspoon sugar
About ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 325F. Slice Roma tomatoes in two lengthwise through the stem, larger tomatoes should be quartered through the stem. In a medium bowl, toss the tomatoes until coated in olive oil. Arrange cut side up on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper.

Roast for 2 ½ -3 hours until they have lost most of their liquid and are just beginning to brown. Cool to room temperature.

Serve as an hors d’oeuvre with goat cheese or side dish. They also make a great soup blended with some sautéed leeks.

Store for up to one week in the refrigerator or in the freezer up to 2 months!

Three-Tomato Salad
This recipe was sent to us by CSA member Julie Cox
http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/salad1/r/3tomatosalad.htm

This is a simple, colorful summer salad best served at room temperature. Enjoy the classic pairing of these fruits with a balsamic vinegar dressing.

2 medium, vine-ripe red tomatoes 
2 medium orange tomatoes 
2 medium yellow tomatoes 
1 bunch scallions, chopped 
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil 
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil 
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Cut each tomato into eight wedges and place in a medium bowl or serving dish. Sprinkle chopped scallions and fresh basil over tomatoes.

Whisk together oil and vinegar, or place in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously. Drizzle vinaigrette over tomatoes and toss gently.

For best tomato flavor, serve at room temperature.

From the Fields

Last week we pulled all of our storage onions out of the fields and they are now curing in the barn. In order for onions to store well they need to be harvested in a dry window. It looks like we got them out just in time!

As more crops come out of the fields we are starting to plant our winter cover crops. A cover crop is planted not to be harvested but to be tilled in. Tilling in different cover crops adds different elements to the soil. Legumes, like clover or vetch fix nitrogen from the air into the soil. Cover crops also protect nutrients from being leached from the soil, decrease erosion and keep weeds at bay by lessoning their germination. The rye, vetch, bell beans, and clover we plant September through November play a big part in bringing you your bounty each season.

Community Events

Fair Trade Trunk Show
On Tuesday, September 18th CSA hosts Kay Altman and David Browning invite you to their home for a jewelry trunk show. Stop by to be introduced to Lucina, a socially conscious jewelry business using fair trade gemstones, designed and manufactured in Portland. Their doors will be open from 5-7pm at 3411 SE Ankeny.

Sauvie Island Center Fundraiser at Vindalho (2038 SE Clinton St)
On Sunday, October 7th, Cory Schreiber will team up with the crew at Vindalho to create a four course, sit down feast that benefits the Sauvie Island Center. The Center is a non profit that focuses on bringing kids k-5 out to Sauvie Island to teach them about food, farming and the land.

Tickets are $90 per person and include wine and gratuity. A portion of the cost is tax deductible. This will be a small gathering so please purchase your tickets right away. Do so by contacting Shari Raider at 503-621-6921 or siorganics@aol.com. Make a reservation by phone or email. You’ll receive confirmation after sending your check to Sauvie Island Center Vindalho Fundraiser, 20233 NW Sauvie Island Road, Portland, Oregon 97231.
 

And the menu: pickled pumpkin with cumin and cider, spiced black bean puree on fennel seed cracker, roasted beet and sprouted dal chaat salad, cauliflower and onion pakoras with chutney, pan-fried shrimp with Goan green coconut curry and shaved radishes, braised Ford Farm Highland Beef with Ayers Creek Farms red flint polenta and coastal artichokes with red chiles, roasted fall vegetable Korma and baked Sauvie Island Apple with warm spiced rice pudding and walnuts.

This Week’s Share:

• Basil
• Beans
• Carrots 
•  Corn
• Cucumbers
• Dill
• Kale
• Onions
• Summer Squash
• Tomatoes

Basil – Our basil is starting to flower so we will do what we call a “big pinch.” What that means for the plant is we will pinch all major stems fairly low on the plant to prevent it from going to seed when it becomes tough and bitter. The re-growth will be just as tasty as the basil you will receive in this week’s share. What this means for you is more lots of basil. Just pinch the flowers and pesto.

Beans – New to your share this week are Romano beans. Also known as Runner beans or Italian flat beans, Romano Beans are a green flat podded bean. They can be quickly blanched and seasoned with salt or fresh herbs, and are also great in salads, or just by themselves. Check out the green bean and tomato recipe below.

Carrots – A share staple, our carrots are still sweet, crisp, and tasty. Follow the carrot quick pickle recipe below for something different.

Corn – This week we are introducing Brocade. This bi-colored corn is one of the best tasting of the modern hybrids. It is super sweet and tasty straight off the cob, but if you like butter then you’ve got to heat it up. Or try making the summer salsa below.

Cucumbers – Both Marketmore and Lemon cucumbers will once again be included in your share this week. As their production declines with the changing season be sure to savor them while they are still around. Try dicing and mixing them with oil, a splash of lemon juice, some fresh dill, and pinch of salt.

Dill – This fresh summer herb is back this week. Put it in your favorite cool summer salad.

Kale – Red Ursa kale is a cross between Red Russian and True Siberian kale. It is similar in appearance to Red Russian but the leaves are more rounded and curved at the end.

Onions – As our summer Walla Walla onion supply is reaching its end, this week we will be giving out Siskiyou sweet onions. This variety was first brought to Walla Walla Washington from Corsica around 1900. These huge sweet Spanish onions have a light brown skin and a mild white flesh.

Summer Squash – Like most of our early summer crops their production is waning so get them while you can. Now that we have paste tomatoes you can try using your summer squash in the corn and squash salsa below.

Tomatoes – We know summer is not over yet because tomatoes are still coming on strong. Last week everyone got a taste of the San Marzano paste tomato. This week we will start giving out larger portions in rotation so people can make sauce. Paste tomatoes are high in sugars and low in water content making them the ideal sauce tomato.

Recipes

Corn and Squash Salsa

Adapted from The Great Salsa Book

• 2 tablespoons diced onion
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 ears of corn
• 1 1/2 cups summer squash diced the same size as the corn kernels
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon fresh marjoram or oregano
• 5 paste tomatoes diced (can also be oven roasted beforehand)
• 1/3 teaspoon salt

In a sauté pan, cook the onion and water over low heat, covered, for 10 minutes. Cut the corn kernels off the cobs with a sharp knife. Add to the sauté pan together with the squash and butter. Cook 5 minutes longer, until the veggies are cooked and liquid has evaporated. Add tomatoes, marjoram and salt, thoroughly combine. Chill before serving. Serve with eggs or as a side dish. Yields about 2 1/4 cups

Sesame-Pickled Carrots with Ginger Strips

Adapted from Quick Pickles: Easy Recipes with Big Flavor

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 lb carrots, peeled and thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
• 3 tablespoons peeled, slivered fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons orange marmalade or orange juice concentrate
• grated zest of 1 orange
• 2 tablespoons black and/or white sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 or more dried red chillies to taste
• 1 teaspoon course salt

In a medium sauté pan or wok, heat the vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the carrots and half of the ginger and sauté, stirring frequently, until the carrots are crisp and tender, 3-4 minutes. Remove to a non-reactive bowl.

Add the 2 remaining tablespoons sesame oil and all the remaining ingredients, and toss well to combine. Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate. The flavor of these pickles does not blossom fully for 24 hours. After that, they will keep for a month, covered and refrigerated. Shake or stir them once in a while to redistribute the oil.

Green Bean and Tomato Salsa

Adapted from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant

• 1 lb Romano beans
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large tomatoes, cut into wedges

Wash and trim the beans. Cut them diagonally into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Cook the beans in boiling water, or steam, until just tender. Drain the beans and set them aside to cool. Combine the lemon juice, oil, salt, and garlic. In a bowl, combine the cooked beans and tomato wedges. Toss them with the dressing.

On Farm

In addition to writing the farm blog, I also spent my weekend “On-Farm.” Being On-Farm at SIO is when you take your turn as the person who keeps the farm running over the weekend. Duties are mainly comprised of maintaining the irrigation, and keeping an eye on the seedlings in the greenhouse. This weekend I set up and ran some overhead irrigation in our salad mix beds and in a cover-crop of buckwheat in what used to be the broccoli field. I also watered a variety of seedlings as we gear up to plant some fall crops. I am happy to report that by the end of the weekend many vacant trays were sprouting with newly germinated seeds.

Farewell

As September rolls along at the farm we will be saying good-bye to our two second-year interns, Becky and Vanessa. As a first-year intern I will miss their guidance and leadership, and in all aspects of the farm work we will all miss their ever capable helping hands and smiling faces. We wish them luck in their next endeavors, and when they are gone we will certainly have big shoes to fill.

Community Event- Grange Hall Supper

Thursday, October 4 at 7pm Ecotrust (721 NW 9th Avenue) hosts an urban Grange Hall Supper, a family-style meal like Grandma might have served–that is, if she were French. The evening’s chef, Robert Reynolds of The Chef Studio, will showcase local ingredients from that magical moment when seasons overlap. Susan and Kyle Chaney of The Busy Corner Café will pour Owen Roe and O’Reilly’s wines against a background of classical guitar music.
Ecotrust invites you to join them to share food and stories and to live, if only for an evening, in the warmth and community of the Grange Hall.

This five course meal and wine to compliment it is $55. Please feel welcome to bring a bottle of your most special wine to share (no corkage fee). RSVP to lalena@ecotrust.org or by calling 503.467.0764. Payment must be received one week prior to the event. Seating is limited to 80 people.

This Week’s Share 

• Carrots
• Chard
• Cilantro
• Corn
• Cucumbers
• Melons
• Onions
• Peppers
• Summer Squash
• Tomatoes

*Basil

Carrots- Again this week you will receive your carrots topped and in bulk weight.

Chard- Instead of the usual lettuce this week you will be receiving a beautiful bunch of Ruby Red Swiss chard. The stems and leaves both delicious steamed, braised, sautéed or in any number of recipes. I have included a Russian chard soup recipe below.

Cilantro- A versatile herb cilantro adds something special to many kinds of recipes. I use it frequently in Vietnamese and Mexican cuisine. It also makes a superb alternative to basil pesto.

Corn- You can’t beat fresh corn on the cob with butter, salt, and pepper but there are so many other things it can be added to. Below you will find a traditional breakfast recipe with a small twist, corn pancakes. These were a childhood favorite of mine; in the cool mornings these are the perfect way to start your day.

Cucumbers- Some of you have commented what a large cucumber year this has been, this week you may notice a decline in the amount of these refreshing juicy cucurbits. Enjoy them in an Asian style salad with rice wine vinegar and sugar. I like to top it with seaweed flakes and sesame seeds.

Melons- A cool, damp summer has been hindering our melons but after a good long stretch of hot dry weather this is to be a big melon week. We grow five varieties of melons here at the farm, no matter which kind you receive in your share they are all carefully harvested at their peak of ripeness and sweetness. Below you will find a full description of melons so you can identify which it is you receive.

Onions- Red Bull onions are a storage variety but you are receiving them fresh so they do need to be refrigerated if not used right away.

Peppers- Most of our peppers we allow to change color on the plant, however that is probably still a few weeks away. So this week you will receive in your share 2 green bells. My favorite use for these is sautéed with onions and mushrooms and served in a pita pocket.

Summer Squash- As with cucumbers you can see fall is right around the bend with the slowing of our summer squash plants. Don’t worry soon you will be enjoying the fruits of autumn with the winter squash.

Tomatoes- They are probably my favorite vegetable of all, I can and will eat tomatoes at every meal while they are in season. They go well with just about anything or just sit down with the salt shaker and eat one like an apple. A quick side dish for lunch or dinner is a tomato basil salad. Just toss the basil leaves with olive oil, salt and pepper, add some largely chopped tomatoes and you have a super healthy delicious dish. Fresh mozzarella is a great addition to this salad.

*Basil- We are about to begin our next round of giving out large shares of basil, rotating pick up sites each week. We rotate to give the basil plants a chance to regenerate to keep the harvest controlled and productive. Try using your basil along with your cilantro in a Vietnamese style noodle soup. 

A Bit About Melons

We are growing five different kinds of melons at the farm this year. You can expect to see one of the following in your share this week:

Galia is a hybrid melon with a lime green flesh that is succulent and very sweet. It has light to medium netting on a highly uniform conical fruit.

Sugar Nut is a small early canary type of melon with fruits averaging about two pounds. It has greenish white flesh, is sweet and flavorful with a nice smooth texture and a small seed cavity. A 1/2 or whole melon is just the right size for a snack or dessert. It is harvested at the forced slip stage.

Maverick is an early melon variety, round to slightly oval fruits with a heavily sutured skin. They have an excellent sweet flavor. A kind of American cantaloupe they have orange flesh and a corky “net” on the skin. They are sometimes called muskmelons because of their “musky”, sweet taste.

Sivan is a charantais type melon. They are a hybrid variety forming a nearly round highly uniform fruit with delicate ribbing and deep orange super sweet flesh.

New Queen watermelon brings another color of the rainbow to your fruit plates. New Queen matures early and exhibits stunning bright orange flesh that is very tender, crisp and juicy with very few seeds, a 12% sugar content round out this exciting melon.

Recipes

Shchav- (Russian chard soup)
Adapted from Cooks.com

1 bunch chard
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup milk or sour cream

First melt the butter in a wide, heavy pan. Add chopped stems of chard and cook covered 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in chopped leaves of chard and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp. flour and stir until blended. Gradually blend in broth and sour cream or milk. Cook and stir until slightly thickened. If a smooth green soup is preferred, whirl mixture in a blender until it has the consistency desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Carrot and Cilantro Salad
Adapted from the Small Kitchen Gourmet

4 large or 8 smaller carrots
2 Tbsp. cilantro roughly chopped

Dressing

1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Slice carrots thinly. Combine carrots with the cilantro in a bowl. Combine all the dressing ingredients thoroughly. Just before serving toss the carrot mixture with the dressing and transfer to a serving dish.

Flannel Cakes with Fresh Sweet Corn
Adapted from the American Woman’s Cook Book circa 1938

2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. shortening
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs (separated)
2 cups milk
1 to 2 cups corn kernels

Rub the shortening into the flour. Add the salt and baking powder. Beat the yolks of the eggs light. Add the milk to the egg yolks and beat well. Gradually stir the liquid into the flour mixture and mix until quite smooth. Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Add one to two cups of corn kernels to the batter. Bake on a moderately hot greased griddle.

Barn Owl

One of the rotations for the second year apprentices is a position called barn owl. The barn owl starts their day checking the walk-in cooler to spray down and make sure all the produce is at good moisture level. Then harvest begins after a flurry of activity in the barn making sure the bins are washed and loaded, newspaper for keeping sensitive vegetables damp and shielded from the elements, scale are loaded and knives get sharpened. Then everyone heads out to begin the harvest which at this point in the season takes generally from 6:30 am to noon, after which cooling and pack-out begins. The barn owl checks in all produce coming from the fields and records the weights and amounts onto the yield sheets. This past week for example we harvested 1,304 pounds of tomatoes. These then get sorted for ripeness to make sure those getting their share early in the week get the ripest while those getting their share later in the week get ones that will be ripe by then. Then we need to count or weigh again and do the math to fairly divide the bounty among all our members. It is a very attention demanding task to count literally thousands of tomatoes, cucumbers, summer squash, eggplants and more.

Moving on

It has been a truly amazing experience apprenticing at Sauvie Island Organics. As I enter my final month I want to let you know what a pleasure it has been growing vegetables for you, and how rewarding it has been to get to see first-hand your excitement at pick-up. The next few weeks will become increasingly busy with the harvest in full swing and harvesting my own crops from my 180 ft. by 3 ft. apprentice bed and preparing to relocate. I am leaving the same weekend I graduate the farm for Port Townsend Washington to assist in managing a new 6-acre farm. I look forward to applying all my new found skills and knowledge and thank the farm and you the members for all I have learned in the last 17 months

This Week’s Share

• Carrots
• Celery
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Potatoes
• Summer Squash
• Tomatoes

Carrots – Fresh, sliced, diced, shredded, steamed, roasted or stewed carrots are a fantastic sweet vegetable for all seasons. I like mine roasted with maple syrup and either raisins or rosemary.

Celery – A hearty welcome to celery. The variety of celery we grow is called ‘Tall Utah’, and it surely is tall, it’s also quite fragrant too. Treat this celery as an herb, a delightful addition to soups, stews and other kitchen endeavors, instead of the kind of celery you would use for ants on a log (aka snacking). This celery might taste a bit too strong if you just eat is raw. I recommend flavoring your tomato juice with a stick of this celery.

Cucumber – The cucumbers are starting to slow down a bit, so your share of these delicious summer treats will start to get smaller. Use your cucumbers this week to make a delicious pickled cucumber salad.

Eggplant – Eggplant, the spongiest vegetable in your share, is a wonderful summer treat. My favorite method for cooking eggplant is rubbing slices or halves with canola oil, sesame oil and miso paste and then broiling in the oven until brown. Makes a great pizza, salad or pasta topping.

Garlic – Use garlic in your pesto or in almost any dish. Try your garlic roasted…peel cloves, coat with olive oil and roast in the oven until the color changes and the texture turns soft.

Kale – Welcome ‘Winterbor’ Kale. The second planting of kale has finally come on strong and we are excited to include a bunch of this curly kale in your share. Kale is a multi-function vegetable. You can steam or sauté it briefly to enjoy this vegetable still crisp. You can also cook it down further and cook it in balsamic vinegar for a delicious side dish. Kale, chopped finely, is also a wonderful addition to quiches, soups and grain dishes.

Lettuce – A simple summer salad is the best dinner on a warm night. Wash and tear off your lettuce leaves. Add shredded carrots, sliced cucumbers and diced tomatoes and top with a roasted garlic vinaigrette.

Potatoes – This week you will be getting Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potatoes in your share. Nothing beats a freshly harvested potato. I love potatoes roasted in a vegetable medley, especially on the grill. See the recipe below. These delicious potatoes are also wonderful cubed and cooked in your favorite soup.

Summer Squash – The varieties of summer squash are also starting to slow down too. Enjoy them while they are still with us.

Tomato – The tomatoes keep coming on stronger and stronger. How fantastic to finally have them with us. I recommend making homemade tomato juice and dressing it up with a little celery.

*Basil – This week Wednesday Box and Friday Box will receive a bulk basil distribution in their shares. This is the time to make some tasty pesto to keep in the freezer until winter.

Recipes

Apple and Celery Bread
from cooks.com

2 c. apples, fresh, diced (do not peel)
1/2 c. celery, fresh, diced
3 lg. eggs
1 c. vegetable oil
1 3/4 c. sugar
3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking powder

Beat eggs in mixing bowl. Add oil and sugar; mix well. Add apples and celery; blend. Sift together dry ingredients and add to above mixture; just to blend. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Roasted Eggplant Dip
adapted from How to Cook Everything
The author says “roasting eggplant gives it such a wonderful smoky flavor that even people who claim to not like eggplant often eat this dip enthusiastically”.

2 medium or 4 small eggplant
¼ c freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ c extra-virgin olive oil
½ t minced garlic, or to taste
½ c freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
minced fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Start a charcoal or wood fire, preheat a gas grill, or turn the oven on to 500 degrees. Pierce eggplant in several places. Grill or roast, turning occasionally, until the eggplant collapses and the skin blackens, about 15-30 minutes. Remove and cool. When cool enough to handle, open the skin and scoop out the eggplant flesh. Mince finely and mix with lemon juice, oil, garlic, cheese, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary, garnish, serve with bread or crackers.

Potato Latkes
adapted from The New Laurel’s Kitchen
“These richly flavored yeast-raised potato pancakes are light, delicious, and not at all greasy – wonderful not only for breakfast, but at any time of day.”

2 medium potato
1 egg, beaten
1 t salt
½ c whole wheat flour
¼ c wheat germ
2 t active dry yeast
1 c warm mil, stock or water
1 T onion (or more)
1 T oil

Sauté onion in oil. Dissolve yeast in liquid. Grate potato and mix together with egg, salt, flour, and wheat germ. Add the onion with its oil. Let rise 30 minutes. Stir down. Cook over medium heat on lightly oiled griddle until browned on each side, about 6-7 minutes. Serve with applesauce and yogurt. Makes 8 pancakes.

Grilled Veggie Medley
Start up the grill (or the hot coals at your camp site). Cube and slice potatoes, eggplant, summer squash, carrots, celery, garlic, onion, peppers and even tomatoes. Coat with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and your favorite herbs. Then wrap into a tin foil pod and throw on the barbeque or put it in the coals. Flip once or twice and then open for moist, delicious vegetables.

What’s Going on at the Farm?

This is a wonderful time of year at the farm. The skies are still clear and bright, the angles of our shadows are changing dramatically, and the hue of the sunlight is a warmer and a deeper yellow. The crops are all roaring along at the peak of their production. The peppers keep marching along their path, just waiting to change from green to the magical rainbow of colors to which they will mature. The irrigation schedule is slowing down as we harvest more crops but seed fewer replacements and fill in empty spots with the last of the summer cover crop. The hearty winter crops are growing with speed and soon winter squash, cabbage, and spinach will be knocking on our door again. It’s hard to believe the time is moving this quickly!

An Excellent Opportunity to Reduce, Re-Use and Recycle

Here are some tips for using the three Rs (Reduce, Re-Use and Recycle) at your veggie pick up site.
1. Bring your own bag or bags for vegetable transport. Canvas and cloth are good options because they can get washed or rinsed as needed. Just throw all your veggies in there and a little water or soil won’t hurt, which eliminates the need for all produce to go home in individual plastic bags. Circulate two bags in rotation, one with your bike/car and one in the house so you’ll always have one with you. You can also re-use paper or plastic grocery bags from the store or previous week of drop. Every re-used bag is one less ‘virgin’ bag (and newly harvested raw materials) that gets put into the waste stream.
2. Collect your paper bags (from the store or from drop) and bring them to share at drop for yourself and other members to use. That way, when you forget to bring your bag…there will already be a used bag waiting for you.
3. About the thin plastic film bags…although these bags come in handy for bagging a wet head of lettuce or some tomatoes that might get squished and leak on the way home, they aren’t necessary for bagging every item. Consider conserving bags by combining only wet produce (lettuce, kale, etc) or delicate produce you are concerned about into one bag. This saves bags and time. These bags are also easily saved and re-used from week to week by rinsing quickly and hanging to dry upside down on a dish rack. Luckily, your produce gets along real well with each other and is more than happy to sit lumped together in your bag until you get home to unpack it.
4. And for the recycling part…you can recycle paper bags that have passed their prime, or you can re-use them as wrapping paper or bedding for your worm composting bin. You can even save up your spent plastic film bags and recycle them at the Master Recycler Plastic Round-ups that occur three times per year (see information and link below).

FREE Master Recycler Plastic Roundups

Saturday, September 29, 2007, 9am to 2pm
Floyd Light Middle School 10800 SE Washington
Kaiser Permanente 3325 N Interstate (off Fremont & Overlook Park)

Saturday, October 6, 2007, 9am to 2pm
PCC Sylvania 12000 SW 49th Lot 10
Westview High School 4200 NW 185th North Parking Lot

http://www.masterrecycler.org/plastic-recycling.php

Apprentice Beds

Every year the second-year apprentices get one 180′ bed at the farm on which we can experiment with crops or techniques that we don’t otherwise use at the farm. Planning and managing my apprentice bed has been a fun challenge, with an emphasis on the challenge part. Much like the rest of the farm, I did my planning during the winter months of January and February. Between my over zealous visits with the Seed Savers Exchange catalog and the large number of seeds I acquired at seed swaps, it was hard to narrow down my options and pick a sane amount of crops to plant. I had a few definite crops I wanted to include: heirloom melons, storage onions, small-long storing winter squash, cherry tomatoes, sunflowers, Zulu Prince daisy, a few varieties of hot peppers, and tomatillos. But then I found varieties I just had to have, like black tomatoes and beans and edamame and the list goes on and on. The planning and seeding in the greenhouse was easy compared to the planting out, weeding and harvesting. I forgot how long our work days are in the hot sun and how hard it is to do anything after a long day on the farm, nonetheless more farming. However, I’ve done my best to visit my apprentice bed a couple times a week, weed it when I can, and watch the progress of all my crops with delight and much impatience! The absence of a long, hot summer has kept my melons from ripening yet, and I can hardly wait for them to be ready (and I have cut open enough un-ripe melons to have learned my lesson). It has been wonderful to experience a 180′ mini-farm from start to finish, and I have learned a lot of lessons in the process. Here are a few lessons learned. 1) Always trellis tomatoes. They sure need it to stay healthy and it makes harvest much easier. 2) When the seed packet says 18″ spacing, they sure do mean it. 3) Label everything and 4) Patience is key!

The Next Step

I am excited to say that I have accepted a placement as an AmeriCorps Volunteer with the Northwest Service Academy (starting mid-September) to serve at the ‘Garden of Wonders’ Food and Garden education program at Abernethy Elementary School. I am looking forward to a year of integrating my newly acquired farming knowledge into a school garden setting and getting to teach again, yay!

This Week’s Share:

• Beets
• Carrots
• Corn
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Lettuce
• Onions
• Parsley
• Summer Squash
• Tomatoes

*Basil
**Melons

A weekly description of your veggies, with a twist…

Beets – John Evans, from Palmer AK, holds the worlds record for the largest beet ever grown, over 42 pounds! You can see it on the following website. Bet, it didn’t taste as lovely as the beets in your share this week. http://www.recordholders.org/en/records/vegetables2.html

Carrots – Carrots are the 5th most consumed fresh vegetable in the United States. In 2000 Oregon ranked 8th nationally in producing carrots for processing, representing 2.3 % of total U.S. production. http://www.ipmcenters.org/cropprofiles/docs/orcarrots.html

Corn – 80 million acres of land are planted to corn in the US yielding over 650 million pounds, mostly for livestock feed and processed corn products. 4,500 acres were planted in Oregon in 2006. I couldn’t find out how much was sold locally. (USDA)

Cucumbers – “To see cucumbers in a dream denotes that you will speedily fall in love. Or, if you are in love, then you will marry the object of your affection.”  Richard Folkard in ‘Plant Lore’ (1884)

Eggplant – From Ode to Eggplant “But your flavor is requited love-The thing that makes all others complete: Garlic, tomato, lentil, lamb, rice. Olive oil would simply be lost without you.” – Persis M. Karim

Lettuce – A “transcontinental” head of lettuce, grown in California and shipped nearly 5,000 kilometers to Washington, DC, requires about 36 times as much fossil fuel energy in transport as it provides in food energy. http://www.worldwatch.org/node/4132

Onions, Walla Walla – “For this is every cook’s opinion, No savory dish without an onion; But lest your kissing should be spoiled, Your onions should be thoroughly boiled.” -Jonathon Swift

Parsley – “Parsley, parsley everywhere. Let me have my victuals bare.” – Ogden Nash

Summer Squash – “You give and give too much, like summer days limp with heat… as we salt and freeze and pickle for the too little to come.” – Marge Piercy’s Attack of the Squash People

Tomatoes – “the tomato offers its gift of fiery color and cool completeness.” -Pablo Neruda

*Basil – “O cruelty, To steal my Basil-pot away from me!” – John Keats
SE Ankeny pick-up will be receiving their half pound this week.

**Melons – In 2004, domestic Cantaloupe production was valued at $300.6 million. Per capita consumption of melons has remained around 25 pounds over the last 15 years. The US is a net importer of Melons, mostly from Mexico. Meanwhile we export over 79% of our crop to Canada and Japan. http://aic.ucdavis.edu/profiles/Melons-2006.pdf  Melons, like me, thrive in heat. We get sweeter, our color is better; we are more pleasant to have at the table. So, some shares will begin to see these gems in their share this week.

Seasonal Notes:

Box share picker uppers… Bring Out Your Bins! Bring Out Your Bins! It’s that time of year when we need to issue a recall.

Free Produce at your pick-up site. Just put that cilantro bunch you dislike or the cucumbers you can’t keep up with in the FREE BOX at your pick-up so that others can benefit from your aversions. Don’t just leave your portion in the bins; it makes us think we counted wrong. Thanks!

Ricipes:

Deliciously Simple Bruscetta
For a single gal sometimes it’s all I need for dinner

The Italian equivalent of chips and salsa…
Tomatoes – As many as you like, dice ‘em up
Garlic – Mince up to what your spice factor enjoys
Basil – I would say a ratio of four leaves to every tomato you use
Olive Oil – Good quality is better here, use enough to make your tomatoes wet
Salt and fresh cracked pepper

Dice, mince, chop and stir all the ingredients together. Toast up thin slices of Good Italian Baguette…Eat like chips and salsa

ACHAARI BAINGAN (Eggplant in pickling style)
Cook this dish to impress your friends with Indian culinary skills. Easier then it seems, Kalongi is key but not necessary.
Adapted from Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey (serves 2)

• 1 large eggplant
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp nigella seeds (kalonji) (sub cumin if your couldn’t find it)
• 3 medium size tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• a pinch of turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder (or to your taste)
• salt
• Cilantro for garnish
• oil for frying

Cut eggplant into largish cubes and place them in a bowl of cold water. Pat dry with a towel. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a deep saucepan. When hot, add the eggplant slices and fry them over medium heat until they turn reddish brown. Fry in batches if the saucepan cannot hold all slices at one time. Remove from heat and place on absorbent paper.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. When hot add fennel seeds and kalonji, as they begin to sizzle and darken add the chopped tomato and ginger-garlic paste. Stir for a minute. Add coriander, turmeric and chili powder. Season with salt.

Mix well and cook for about 2-3 minutes, breaking the tomato pieces with the back of your spoon. Turn the heat up and continue to stir until the sauce thickens

Add the eggplant slices in the sauce and mix gently. Cook for about a minute more. Serve with rice and a cool cucumber salad.

A Midsummer Days Farm

Well into the CSA season the afternoon light begins to yellow in sync with the browning onion tips and golden tassels on the corn tops. Much of the produce coloring your boxes and bags has become more familiar, significant and expected. Likewise the days of work to bring in your vegetables have become more familiar, significant, and expected. With the sun rising later the crew has the welcome shift to a 6:30 start time. That extra half hour of sleep in the morning is sure to feel like a mini-vacation. Our weeding list grows shorter in proportion to the days it seems, as we shift to a harvest heavy day and the last of the lettuce, carrots and fall greens are transplanted and seeded. And do I mean heavy…some beets are almost the size of my head!

Farm life at SIO cultivates lots of time for thought and discussion on topics from the hilarious to the serious. The descriptions for this weeks share were inspired by our field conversations and how they move from the inspirational to tactical to absurd. One moment we are contemplating our totem animals and the end of the next row fretting over what percentage of fresh produce in the global food system is wasted.

It is important to remain inspired as we work hard growing food for our neighbors. I often wonder, feeling perplexed about the tractor trailer of corn I saw pulling out of the farm across the street, where all that corn is going. At the delicious Plate and Pitchfork dinners at the farm last weekend I bit into a hefty Corona bean salad and wondered how much protein and nutrition I was getting compared to a more energy intensive bite of meat. Will I really eat a peck of dirt before I die? What percentage of our income should we be spending on food (down to about 9% from 24% in 1924, Worldwatch Institute) to sustain a healthy food system and fair wages for farmers? These questions, random song lyrics, and lots of numbers run through my head every day that I cultivate beautiful food for you all. It keeps me inspired, along with gratuitous amounts of chocolate, and I hope the vegetables keep you inspired too!