{ Community Supported Agriculture Newsletter {

Dear CSA members:

Laura speaks for herself in this week’s newsletter article... determined, enthusiastic, and committed... we are so very happy to work with her and we hope her second season at Hawthorne Valley will bring her ever closer to her goals in life.

Rachel Schneider, CSA Coordinator

Though I had long forgotten about it, my sister and I always said we would grow up to be farmers together when we were little. We both visited the Hawthorne Valley Farm numerous times in grade school though the Visiting Students Program and loved it. But I stopped thinking about those ideas and became interested in other things after a while. Perhaps that is why it is so incredible to me that this year my sister and I ended up here together as she joined me for 9 months before starting nursing school this fall.

Though this is my first real experience living on a farm, I have realized that I never really lost that gravitation towards agriculture that I felt as a child. By the coincidences of life I ended up attending an agricultural high school in Ecuador when I was 16. From there I did internships in Costa Rica, Chile, and Mexico having to do with shade coffee farmers and other environmental issues, as well as interviews with Chilean farmers for a research grant during college.

It has become clear to me that though I do not plan to be a farmer forever (but you never know…I've found myself loving it!), agriculture is somehow tied into my future. I am looking at graduate programs in agriculture policy and sustainable international development and am very happy to have had real farming experience myself before going on to pursue a career in which I may be working closely with farmers and the many issues they face.

I just calculated that last Friday was exactly one year for me here on the farm. I originally thought time would go by very slowly in farm life, but it's amazing how fast it flies with so much to do! As the harvest winds down in the fall we begin to concentrate more on the cows. Once they stay in the barn at night there are plenty of barn chores to keep us busy until the next season begins and the vegetables become the focus again. It is this cyclical nature of farm work that made me want to see a whole year instead of just a growing season….and that same cycle of the seasons that has made me decide to stay on for another year.

It is amazing how much one can learn the first time around, and I can only imagine how much more you understand in a second year once you already have a good sense of how a place works. I look forward to meeting some of you this winter when we visit the different CSA sites, and would like to wish you all the best in the rest of this year's season.

Laura Weiland

Recipe Redux

For copies of back issues, see your site manager or click on the CSA page at www.hawthornevalley.org

July 17^th

Spicy Peanut Sauce

Chick Peas and Chard

Napa Cabbage and Caraway Slaw

July 24^th

Dandelion Greens & Shiitake Calzones

Pasta with Dandelion Stems

July 31^st

Ravioli Stuffed with Chard

Vegetable Freezing Tips

August 7^th

Blue and White Salad

Chard Leaves and Stems

August 14^th

Zucchini Houdini

Stuffed Peppers

Compost Corner

August 21^st

Beet Tartare with Horseradish and Caraway

August 28^th

Tuscan Tomato Soup

Raw August Salsa

September 4^th

Grilled Nectarines with Honey

Creamy Basil Dressing

Non-Traditional Pesto

Swiss Chard au Gratin

September 11^th

Luscious Leeks

Eduardo’s Gazpacho

Green Beans with Citrus Butter

Lacquered Tofu with Green Beans

September 18^th

Delicata Squash Soup

Pear Crisp with Polenta-Pecan Topping

Sept 25th

Apple, Brussels Sprouts and Turnip Hash

Lemon-Sage Green Beans

Frizzled Leeks

Penne with Cauliflower & Creamy Tomato

1 lb cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 pound penne

2 cups chopped tomatoes

1 ¼ cups heavy cream

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoons chopped thyme

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 ¼ cups shredded Italian Fontina cheese (7 – 8 ounces)

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Optional:

½ pound bacon, cooked, drained, and chopped

Preheat the oven to 450. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the cauliflower with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30- 40 minutes, or until tender and browned; let cool.
Butter a large shallow baking dish. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the penne just until al dente; drain. Return the penne to the pot. Stir in the cauliflower, tomatoes, cream, garlic, thyme, crushed red pepper, 1 cup of the Fontina cheese and ½ cup of the Parmesan; season with salt and pepper.
Transfer the pasta to the prepared baking dishes and sprinkle with the remaining Fontina and Parmesan. Bake for 15 minutes or until bubbling and lightly browned. Sprinkle the pasta with the parsley and chopped bacon and serve. 6 SERVINGS

Recipe by Ken Oringer for Wine Spectator September 2003 issue.

Glazed Turnips

A very simple way to prepare turnips. For variety, try adding garlic, rosemary, or your favorite herbs.

2 lb small to medium turnips

About 1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Garnish: chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Peel turnips, then halve horizontally and quarter halves. Arrange turnips in 1 layer in a 12-inch heavy skillet and add enough water (about 1 1/2 cups) to reach halfway up turnips. Add butter, sugar, and salt and boil over moderately high heat, covered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Boil turnips, uncovered, stirring, until tender and water has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Sauté turnips over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden brown, about 5 minutes more. Add 3 tablespoons water and stir to coat turnips with glaze.

Makes 4 servings. Gourmet, February 2001

Anticipated Harvest

for October 9^th

Beets
Butternut Squash
Carrots
Kale
Lettuce
Onions/Leeks

This season our carrots and potatoes come from Don and Marnie MacLean at Thompson-Finch Farm in Ancram. They also grow the organic strawberries, apples, and cider for our fruit shares.

Their farm is open for apple picking. It is on Wiltsie Bridge Road, off of Route 82. To reach it, take the Taconic Parkway to the Ancram exit. For directions and more information, call 518-329-7578.

If you plan to visit, it is just 20 minutes south of Hawthorne Valley Farm,

Thanks to all the people who recently sent me recipes for warm weather fruits and veggies. Now that we’ve moved on to fall and winter harvests, your recipes will be the first to appear in next season’s newsletters.

Speaking of saving recipes, I keep mine in a photo album – the plastic pages protect the recipes from spills and the ring binder allows me to arrange the pages by vegetable.