{ Community Supported Agriculture Newsletter {

Dear CSA members:

Here we are in our third week of CSA deliveries already! We hope you have been enjoying your vegetable shares and we are sure that the strawberries have been a huge success. As CSA coordinator, I wanted to thank those of you who have already responded to the need I mentioned for more members, by inviting friends, colleagues and family to join us. As you recall from the letter I sent you, we need a total of 230 shareholders. Last month we were at 160 members when I made my request and we are now at 207 full shares - a great leap forward!

The Riverdale group now has 83 full shares, in Garden City there are 54 shares, in Spring Valley we are at 29 shares and here at the farm we have 41 full shares. We still are looking for 23 more full shares to be on target with our garden budget for this year. Each time a member joins, you are helping to support the salaries of the wonderful staff that grows and produces the food you are eating. Your membership fees go directly to the apprentices, Katy and Dan in the garden and Judith and Steffen with the herd. So please help us to complete this membership campaign for 2004!

This is the first year that my only role on the farm is to coordinate the CSA. I am no longer in the gardens or even in the vegetable wash room on Wednesdays to divide out the shares. So for me it is quite a new experience to be in the offices almost all the time. Last week we experienced a bit of trouble with our pre-orders and I wanted to apologize for that. Some folks didn't get their cheese or sauerkraut. We are still learning our new roles, now that I am office bound, so we made a few errors in labeling.

I was unaware that our Edamer cheese will be available only after June 30th. So those of you who ordered in the first or second week have yet to receive your cheese. I will prepare those orders especially and you will receive them as back orders on Thursday, July 2nd. The cheese packages will have your names written on them. Please feel free to order dairy, bread and sauerkraut as usual this week. In fact, we certainly hope you will continue to try our products!

I hope to visit each site two times during the upcoming season and look forward to meeting as many of the membership as I can. Thank you again for supporting Hawthorne Valley Farm!

Rachel Schneider, CSA Coordinator

Looking Forward to

Next Week

Anticipated for July 1^st

· Beets

· Broccoli, for some

· Peas

· Lettuce

· Napa cabbage

· Scallions

207 and Counting…

That’s how many “shares” of each item need to be harvested in order to provide for all 4 of our CSA sites.

As garden manager, Katy is constantly monitoring the readiness of each item. For instance, for next week she anticipates that, except for the broccoli, more than 200 heads, pounds, and/or bunches of each item will reach the stage where they are ready to be harvested.

Since some, but not enough, broccoli is expected to reach its peak, she will create a rotation. Only SOME sites will receive broccoli now. The next time some broccoli is ready, she will rotate the delivery to the OTHER sites until all 4 sites have received an equal amount.

Produce that Perplexes New members often encounter some less-than-familiar items in each week’s share. Here are some tips for using a few of them:

Scapes are the more mildly flavored edible stems and seed pods of a garlic bulb. Chop and use like cloves. Napa or Chinese Cabbage has a sweet taste that works well as slaw or stir fry, with light dressings and Asian flavors like soy sauce, fish sauce, or sesame oil. Chard grows in abundance on the Farm, with stems in shades of ruby red, bright yellow and pale green. For best results, strip the leaves from the stems and cook each separately. A splash of lemon juice will brighten their color and boost their delicate flavor. Still wondering? Help is just an e-mail away at RiverdaleCSA@aol.com.

If You Can’t Stand the Heat The pleasure of cooking with the beautiful and flavorful CSA harvest can wear off very quickly during the hot & humid days of New York summers. Below is one of my “secrets” for an easy-to-prepare meal that is ready in the time it takes to boil water. It also takes advantage of the prodigious amount of greens in our summer shares. Be sure to splash some water on your face so your family thinks you worked hours sweating over a hot stove for them!

Ravioli Stuffed with…

The secret to these “home-made” ravioli is store-bought wonton wrappers, found chilled in your supermarket’s specialty or frozen food section. Once you’ve mastered this easy technique, try experimenting with your own fillings. While you’re at it, make an extra batch to keep on hand in the freezer!

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
42 (about) wonton wrappers (from one 12-ounce package)
2 large egg whites, whisked just until foamy

5 Tablespoons butter, melted (for serving) )
chopped fresh herbs

Arugula & Goat Cheese Filling
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 large shallots, minced
8 ounces arugula, chopped (about 8 cups)
6 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Chard & Ricotta Filling

2 Tablespoons butter

2 ½ Tablespoons chopped onion

3 ½ Tablespoons chopped prosciutto

2 pounds Swiss Chard

1 cup ricotta

2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg yolk

dash of grated nutmeg

Recipe and technique adapted from

Bon Appétit, March 2001, www.epicurious.com

Basic Ravioli Technique

Make Filling: Remove any thick or tough stems from the greens. Wash leaves thoroughly; drain, leaving some water clinging to them. Heat butter or oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots or onion and prosciutto if using; sauté until translucent. Add chopped greens; toss until wilted and tender, but still bright green. Transfer mixture to large bowl and cool, draining out any excess liquid. Mix in cheeses and any remaining ingredients. Season filling with salt and pepper to taste.

Make Ravioli: Spray baking sheets with nonstick spray. Place 4- 6 wonton wrappers on work surface; cover remaining wrappers with plastic to prevent drying. Lightly brush entire surface of each wrapper with egg white. Spoon 1 generous teaspoon filling into center of each wrapper. Fold wrappers diagonally in half, forming triangles. Press edges firmly to seal. Arrange ravioli on prepared sheets. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. To make ahead: Cover trays of filled ravioli with plastic and chill up to 1 day or freeze. Pack frozen ravioli in plastic bags or airtight freezer storage containers. Do not thaw before cooking.

Cook and serve: Place melted butter in large bowl, adding herbs as desired. Cook fresh or frozen ravioli in batches in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 4 – 5 minutes (they’ll rise to the top). Using large strainer, transfer ravioli to colander and drain; place in bowl with butter and toss to coat. Cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining ravioli. Divide cooked ravioli among bowls. Garnish with additional herbs if desired.