Dear CSA Members:
As we slowly approach the
most plentiful part of the CSA season, I thought I would try to explain what
makes the vegetables you are receiving unusual and of high quality. Of
course, the most obvious factor is that the food is freshly harvested for you
within two days of its arrival to your pick up site. We harvest all day
on Tuesday and Wednesday and on Thursday morning the truck leaves for the
metropolitan area sites, while on Thursday afternoons local members pick up
here at the farm. This freshness insures the most alive and nutritious
foods possible and is one of the main reasons CSA remains a viable alternative
to supermarket shopping.
But there is more. These vegetables are grown Biodynamic®ally. For
the next two newsletters I would like to explain a bit about this mysterious
term. For this week, I'll concentrate on the "bio-" or
biological part of the word and next week we can tackle the
"-dynamic" side of things.
Our market garden is on 12 acres but we actually grow all your vegetables on 8
of those acres. We plant a cover crop on about 4 acres which rotate every
one and half years, (roughly 1/3 of the garden). This special blend of grasses
and legumes allows the land to rest, and the soil to be enriched and
structured when we plow the cover in for organic matter and the building up of
humus - rich, fertile stable soil. We also add our own animal based
compost to our garden each year and allow the microbial life, (including those
remarkable earth worms) to grow and flourish. We use NO chemicals at all
- even though organic standards now allow some - for either fertilization or
pest control. NONE EVER - this is actually unusual, even for organic
practices. Healthy, balanced, biologically active soil is the basis for healthy
balanced plant life. That is our goal. Believe me, it is quite
difficult to hold the line and insist on not using even organically allowed
additives like alfalfa meal for nitrogen or using rotenone to stop cucumber beetles.
But we are adamant that living biological processes, such as the breaking
down of a cover crop or our own compost being applied consistently in our
garden, will help create balanced soil that will give forth beautiful and
healthy vegetables. That is the biological basis for the term
"Biodynamics®".
OK, then why does this week's broccoli look strange....well Mother Nature is
the final arbiter of all that comes forth. Our poor broccoli was heat
stroked during the 90 degree hot spell while it was first forming its tiny
flower head. It really needs cool weather to form its head. We have been
watering it almost daily, but it doesn't quite have the healthy glow it did
last season. Sorry folks - farming keeps us humble. The broccoli is
quite fresh and will taste fine cooked - it's just a little cosmetically challenged.
But that is CSA as well - understanding the challenges Mother Nature imposes,
and enjoying the bounty anyway!
Until next week
Rachel Schneider
CSA Coordinator
Looking Forward to
Next Week’s
Harvest
Anticipated for July 27th
·
Basil
·
Beets
·
Broccoli
·
Chinese Cabbage
·
Cucumbers
·
Greens Mix
·
Lettuce
·
Scallions
·
Turnips
·
Zucchini or Summer Squash
Backyard
Composting
Replenish your soil with this basic recipe
for home-made compost. Make it all in one batch or over a period of time as
ingredients accumulate.
o In a large pile or bin, layer equal
amounts of nitrogen –rich “greens” (fresh fruit and vegetable trimmings wilted
flowers, grass clippings, yard prunings, coffee grounds, tea leaves, horse or
cow manure, etc.) with equal amounts of carbon-rich “browns” (dried leaves or
yard clippings, coffee filters, eggshells, straw, chopped twigs, sawdust or
wood chips from untreated wood.)
o Stir with shovel or pitchfork until
well combined.
o Add water or additional dried
ingredients until the pile is as moist as a damp sponge.
o Add air by fluffing the pile with a
pitchfork or other tool.
Repeat whenever additional ingredients are available, always
covering the pile with a layer of “browns”.
After a few months, rich, black compost will form at the bottom of the
pile. Chopping ingredients into smaller pieces or stirring more frequently will
speed the process. For more details,
check www.nyccompost.org or e-mail
Jodie with your questions.
Turnips with
Swiss Chard
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon
slivered garlic
1 pound turnips, peeled, halved, and very
thinly sliced
1 pound Swiss chard, washed, stemmed, and
roughly chopped
1 teaspoon chopped
lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh
lemon juice
Salt and freshly
ground pepper
1. In a large heavy
skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.
Add the garlic and sauté, stirring, until it starts to brown. Remove with a slotted spoon.
2. Add the sliced
turnip to the pan and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring, until it is just cooked
and begins to brown.
3. Turn the heat to
medium-high and return the garlic to the skillet. Stir in the chard and zest; sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the heat off, cover, and steam for 5
minutes. Season with lemon juice and
salt and pepper to taste. Serve
immediately. Serves 4.
Great Good Food: Luscious Lower-Fat Cooking by Julee Rosso,
co-author of the Silver Palate and New Basics Cookbooks.
Summer
Fritatta
Be creative and adjust any of
the ingredients to suit your own tastes!
|
1 Tbs. olive oil ½ cup chopped scallion 8 to 10 mushrooms,
sliced 1 cup diced zucchini ½ cup minced bell
pepper ¾ tsp. salt a pinch dried
thyme & oregano 1 scape or garlic clove, minced |
freshly ground
black pepper chopped fresh basil 4 or 5 eggs chopped tomatoes,
for garnish Optional: ¼ lb. grated or crumbled cheese |
o Preheat oven to 375o F.
o Heat the oil on the stovetop in a 9-or 10-
inch cast iron skillet. Add the
scallion, dried herbs, mushrooms, zucchini or squash, bell pepper, garlic, and
half the salt. Cook, stirring over
medium heat, for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender.
o Turn the heat up and add the chard with
remaining salt and black pepper to taste.
Stir and cook for just a minute or two, until the leaves wilt and some
of the liquid evaporates. Stir in the
basil.
o Beat the eggs in a separate bowl then pour
them into the pan with the vegetables.
Sprinkle in some cheese if desired.
Place the pan in a pre-heated oven for about 10-15 minutes or until the
frittata is solid when you shake the pan.
If desired, add some extra cheese to the top, midway through baking.
o Serve cut into wedges - hot,
warm, or at room temperature. Garnish
with tomatoes. Makes a tasty pita
sandwich with herbed mayonnaise.
It’s the Tops!
Turnips and beets
are delicious, but don’t toss those tops - turnip greens and beet greens are
edible, too. Treat them like any of the
other cooking greens. Especially good sautéed in some oil with
garlic and onions…
JoAnn Gredell
of the Riverdale CSA
writes:
“I don't know how
many more turnips we will be getting this season but I found this in the Southern Living Annual Recipes 1991 Cookbook
and thought I would share it with you.
It was very tasty.
Turnip & Carrot Salad
¼ cup olive oil
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp fresh dill,
chopped
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp pepper
1 large turnip, peeled and
julienned
4 carrots, sliced
diagonally
Fresh dill for
garnish (optional,
and frankly unnecessary!)
Mix the first five
ingredients in a bowl. Add the turnip
& carrot; toss to coat. Chill for
at least 30 minutes.
That's it. The complete lack of cooking makes it a very
nice recipe for these very hot summer days.” JoAnn
Thanks, JoAnn! If you have a recipe or request for the newsletter, e-mail it to Jodie
at RiverdaleCSA@aol.com
