{ Community Supported Agriculture Newsletter {

To foster the connection between you, the hundreds of CSA shareholders spread across 5 counties, and the people who make your shares possible, each week we ask a different member of the Hawthorne Valley Farm family to write to you. This week we hear from Derek.

Dear CSA Members:

This season I'll be delivering the CSA shares into the city and I look forward to getting to know some of the members at the pick-up sites, receiving feedback about the shares, and providing glimpses of how the season is shaping up here in Harlemville.

The previous two seasons I have been farming on the sandy terrain of Martha's Vineyard and the move to Hawthorne Valley has provided a classic example of contrasting soils. On the island we could often work the soils in the afternoon following a morning rain, in fact during many parts of the summer we waited for adequate moisture to complete tillage or cultivation. The soils at Hawthorne Valley are definitely heavier than on the Vineyard; yet they are surprisingly well drained a result, no doubt, of the continued care and maintenance of the soil through the valuable addition of our own compost and proper tillage methods.

Every spring presents its own set of challenges, and this year it has been the continued wet and muddy conditions. An unusually cool start to June accompanied by abundant moisture has made it difficult to find good days to cultivate, not to mention make hay. Thankfully our healthy transplants from the greenhouse have outpaced the early weeds

The rain has also renewed my appreciation for organic methods. Recently I was reading an extension agency newsletter that was telling conventional growers to re-sidedress nitrogen as a result of the heavy rains. Conventional growers who rely on heavy doses of soluble fertilizers to get their crops off and running in the spring likely experienced a great loss of nitrogen due to leaching. In contrast, organic farmers rely on fertilizer sources that are often "locked" up in the soil and are released slowly though the activity of micro-organisms. This release is slower in the early spring and when temperatures are cooler, resulting in a moderated start to the season for fields like ours at Hawthorne Valley.

Walking through the fields and observing our crops gives me a sense that the pace of growth is more in step with the natural rhythms of the Spring. Here's hoping the forecast for sunshine holds true, and the week ahead brings us ample opportunity to get back on the tractor cultivating and transplanting.

Enjoy the veggies,

Derek Christianson

Looking Forward to

Next Week

Anticipated for June 22^nd

Beets or Kohlrabi*

Broccoli, on rotation*

Kale

Lettuce

Parsley

Peas

Scallions

*When a vegetable is ready to be harvested but there may not be enough to fill all the shares at all of the CSA sites at one time, we will note it in the anticipated harvest.

· ON ROTATION means that we will rotate the deliveries so that some sites will receive the vegetable now and the other sites will receive it the next time it is harvested.

· OR means that your site will get one of the vegetables this week and the other one in the next delivery.

With this system, we can harvest vegetables at exactly the right time, but still ensure that, although the delivery dates may vary, each shareholder at every site receives exactly the same type and variety of vegetables throughout the CSA season.

It is always exciting to get e-mail from other members of the CSA community, especially when it includes tasty recipes they want to share with everyone else! Laura, who each week faithfully posts the CSA newsletter and share info on the Farm’s website, writes:

Last month I flipped on FoodTV and saw "Good Eats" was on beets.... so I looked up the recipes. Wondered if they'd work for you!

Here are two of the recipes from www.foodnetwork.com:

Beet Green Gratin

Get double the goodness from your beets by also eating the beet greens. Small tender leaves can be used raw in salads; larger leaves are best when cooked.

1 tablespoon butter
12 ounces sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound beet greens, cleaned and picked
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
4 egg yolks, beaten
1 cups ricotta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup crumbled crackers (recommended: Ritz crackers)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the mushrooms and garlic and sweat. Add the beet greens and mix well. Remove pan from heat. Season with salt and pepper.

In a separate bowl, combine the egg yolks, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, and salt. Combine everything and put into a lightly oiled 9 by 11-inch baking dish. Top with the crumbled crackers and bake for 30 minutes covered. Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Glazed Baby Beets

20 baby beets, scrubbed
2 cups apricot juice
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey

In a large saute pan, add the beets and the apricot juice. Cover and cook on medium high for 10 minutes. Add the vinegar and honey and cook for another 10 minutes. Pull off of the heat and keep covered for an additional 5 minutes. The liquid should be thickened and coating the beets.

KOHLRABI

Both leaves and swollen stem (bulb) of this purported European cousin of the cabbage (kohl) and turnip (rabi) are edible. Like turnips, the bulb only needs to be peeled if the skin seems tough.

Try chopping the greens and thinly slicing the bulb, then sautéing in a little butter until tender. Serve as is, or mix in parsley, scallion, dill, basil or cilantro.

Trimmed and peel raw Kohlrabi bulbs are also terrific as salad or slaw. Try it with this dressing:

Kohlrabi Slaw with Honey Ginger Dressing

Whisk together:

2 Tbsp. honey

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

Stir in until smooth:

1 Tbsp. cider vinegar

Gently stir in

1 tsp. grated ginger.

Pour over sliced, shredded, or grated kohlrabi and carrots. Serve garnished with cilantro.