Dear CSA Members:
This week's article is from our Dairy Manager, Abe
Mady. Abe is a graduate of the Hawthorne Valley Waldorf school, a trained
coast guard sailor as well as a trained meteorologist and cheesemaker.... and
a very talented watercolorist.... we are lucky to have him with us!
Rachel Schneider, CSA Coordinator
Now is the middle of summer.
Hay bales are materializing on the fields and the weather is generally
hot. Two months ago, however, the grass
was just being grazed for the first time this year, and the first "spring
milk" was just coming into the cheese vat -- a very significant point in
the yearly cycle of my work when the milk goes from its pale, hay- fed, late
winter state to sweet, grass-fed, and golden over the course of a week.
The cheese made from that
golden spring-now-summer milk will soon come of age. What we currently offer for sale are winter milk cheeses and the
aged year-old sharps from last year. By
the same thread, whatever cheese is made now will only be realized by the time
they start rolling out the school busses. Because of this time lag, I
experience a constant flow out of the past pouring over my present
attention, tempering the here and now with what I have done before.
This is due to one of the
constraints I have to work with here in cheese making -- any cheese made from
raw milk must be aged over 60 days before being sold. Aside from ruling out raw
milk for certain cheeses which are by definition aged less than two months, it
is usually no big deal. However, a lot can change over that period and sometimes
it puts me into a thoughtful relationship with the cheese.
While the cheese making
proceeds in the present, the work is also influenced by the results of past
actions when I taste a cheese and consider the corrections which need to be
made, the constants which I want to keep.
And yet, the thinking that directs it is at least two months ahead. Already, I am anxiously awaiting the
ripening of the jalapeno peppers in the green house for the hot pepper Cheddar,
and the garlic, too, for the Alpine cheese I want to have ready for November. And
If I make enough Cheddar cheese now, we'll be able to hold it into next March
or April of next year for a good sharp.
But while the past is out of reach and we are still waiting for the future to
arrive, I'll mention that you should look for the “spring milk” Edamer and mild
Cheddar (you will recognize them by their golden color). The young Alpines
still need another month, although I will begin cutting into the new caraway
Alpines sooner. And finally, there should be some more Jack (for those of you
looking for it) coming along side the Edamer.
I hope you will try
some our cheeses over the course of the season. Pre-ordering will begin
for those of you in the metropolitan area, and for those local CSA members, our
cheese is always available at the farm store.
Abe Mady
Dairy Manager
Looking
Forward to Next Week’s Harvest
Anticipated for July 17th
·
Beets
·
Chard
·
Cucumbers
·
Lettuce
·
Napa /Chinese Cabbage
·
Peas (for some)
·
Zucchini
Pre-orders for dairy and bakery products
will begin soon, so be sure to look for forms at the site. Pre-pay by check or money order only.
No cash will be accepted.
Salad Daze
With the CSA season comes
lettuce and lots of it - sometimes loose as salad mix other times in large,
wonderfully leafy heads. And it’s no
coincidence that kale, chard, and other greens arrive at the same time. All are flourishing due to the wet months
behind us.
Some CSA members begin to hit
“salad fatigue” in mid-July, while others rejoice in this leafy abundance. Whichever
category you are in, you are not alone!
Please tell us what you do
with the greens in your share, especially if you’ve experimented beyond salad
or gotten creative out of sheer desperation.
E-mail, me (Jodie Colón) at RiverdaleCSA@aol.com, or send mail to
the farm at:
Hawthorne Valley Farm
327 Route 21C
Ghent NY 12075
Attn: Rachel
Of Cabbages
and Kings…
New York State is the
nation’s leader in production of cabbages, with the value of the crop in 2002
totaling $48.6 million! (New York Agriculture Statistics Service at http://www.nass.usda.gov/ny)
Cabbages come in a variety
of colors, shapes and sizes, and the taste varies accordingly. Most familiar are the round dense heads of green and red cabbage – ones that are typically
stored and sold later by NY farmers during winter months. Your share also includes the pale green
football shaped Napa/Chinese Cabbage – it
has a light sweet taste and is very versatile. Here are a few recipes to get you started:
Spiced Napa Cabbage Salad
1
cucumber
6
cups finely shredded napa cabbage
2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce (nuoc mam or nam pla)
1 tablespoon Asian (toasted) sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 fresh jalapeno chili, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
Slice cucumber in half lengthwise, trim off
ends, and scoop out and discard seeds. Thinly slice cucumber. In a wide bowl, combine cabbage, carrots, and
cucumber. Mix vinegar, fish sauce,
sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, chili, and garlic. Pour over salad and mix.
Serve, or cover and chill up to 4 hours. When ready to serve, sprinkle with
peanuts and mix. 
Sunset Magazine
Layered Vegetable Salad with
Capers and Thyme
8
cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage
(about 1 ½ pounds
4 cups thinly sliced red onions
3
cups chopped yellow bell peppers (about 3 large)
I pound snap peas
¾
cup plain yogurt
¾ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons drained bottled capers, minced
1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, minced
Soak the onions in
cold water to cover for 10 minutes.
Blanch the peas in boiling salted water for 1 minute. Drain the onions and the peas and pat dry. In
a large glass bowl make separate layers with the cabbage, the onions, the bell
peppers, and the peas. In a bowl whisk together the yogurt,the mayonnaise, the
capers, the thyme, and salt and pepper to taste, pour the dressing over the
peas, spreading it evenly, and chill the salad, covered, for 6 hours. The salad
may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. Combine the salad
well and serve it with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serves 8.
Adapted from Gourmet, November 1992
Wilted Cabbage
3
tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
4 bacon slices, chopped
1 teaspoon caraway seeds, crushed lightly
3 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
2 medium carrots, shredded
3 cups very thinly sliced Napa
cabbage
4 scallions, sliced
thin
In a cup or very small bowl stir
together vinegar and honey. In a 12-inch heavy skillet cook bacon over moderate
heat, stirring, until crisp. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to a small bowl
and pour off all but about 2 tablespoons bacon fat from skillet.
Heat bacon fat remaining in skillet
over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and cook caraway seeds,
stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add red cabbage, carrots, vinegar
mixture, and salt and pepper to taste and sauté, stirring, until cabbage is
just wilted, about 1 minute.
Remove skillet from heat and add
Napa cabbage and scallions, tossing until cabbage is wilted slightly. Divide among 6 plates. Top with bacon. Serves 6
Gourmet, November 1996
It’s Gotten Rotten in Here
Even the
most seasoned CSA –ers inevitably find some forgotten greens tucked way back in the ‘fridge.
If your greens
are rotten, they probably were soggy
from being stored too wet, too closely packed, or with damaged spots. If they
are wilted, they have lost their moisture and can often be revived with a 10 to 30
minute soak in icy cold water.
Either way,
salvage what you can and compost the
rest. Look for composting tips in
upcoming issues.
