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Maplewood Organics

(Highgate, Vermont)

A Diverse Eco-Farm in Northern Vermont

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29 Aug · Sat 2009

CSA Contents Week of August 31st

Red onions

Delicata or sugar dumpling squash

Carrots

yellow summer squash

celery

paste tomatoes

cherry/sungold tomatoes

basil

Red potatoes

Tomatillos

Cabbage

Flowers

Trades and extras will include: slicing tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, peas, and more!

You may order parsley, cilantro or extra basil this week by 8:00am the day of your share pick-up by emailing maplewoodorganics@yahoo.com or calling 868-5083.

Posted by Hannah and Eric @ 12:22 PM EDT

Week 11 Newsletter with Recipes

CSA Newsletter

Volume 5

Issue 11- Farm

August 27, 2009

__________________________________________________________________________________

Week 11

New to everyone this week: red onions, delicata squash and eggplant! Another exciting addition for our half share members this week: tomatillos. And potatoes are back! Remember to go to our Local Harvest website blog (

Ellyn’s last day was yesterday. She leaves for Hampshire College in a week and a half. We miss her already!

http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M13345) to view your CSA contents for the upcoming week. You can also find our newsletters posted to that blog. If you want to look back at recipes, you can look there! We have lots of yellow squash, so if you want extra, just ask!

Flowers for Special Events

We now arrange flowers for special events! If you're planning an event for this summer or fall or next summer or fall (mid July-September) please keep us in mind! We grow all of our own flowers organically and have very competitive prices! Our bouquets would be done in the style you're receiving in your share. Special requests can be made if booked early for next season! Spread the word!

Garden Progress

We got our beets and turnips planted Saturday. We also seeded down two empty beds with buckwheat until we’re ready to plant garlic at the end of next month. We still have some spent crops to pull in the garden by the house. We’re trying to get as many of our fall crops in that garden as possible so we can free up the big garden for composted manure and fall plowing. We plan to hire a rock crusher in the spring to break up the many, many rocks we have in that garden. We’re also working on our weed management plan for next season already. Two family members have recommended using landscaping fabric between all of our crop rows to keep down the weeds. This fabric can be used for 15-20 years if taken care of properly and rolled up at the end of each season. I’m REALLY excited about this possibility. I need to price it out and see what widths are available. Spending a few days at each end of the season to lay it down and roll it up would save us an incredible amount of time during the season and would help us grow even better food for our customers and our family! This is exciting stuff!

Farm News - Beef

We have another steer going to the butcher this week. We process about one animal per month and sell much of the meat to stores and restaurants in the Burlington and Essex areas. We also sell beef in bulk starting at 12 pounds up to the whole animal. We can get it all processed and packaged for you, or you can arrange the cuts you want with the butcher. Go in with another family or two and buy a whole beef! It’s a great way to stock your freezer for the winter and support our farm so that we can keep on producing nutritious food in a way that nurtures the environment.

We celebrated the bulk of our haying being done with pizza last night. Eric’s parents, Richard and Maggie, treated all of us to Swanton House of Pizza pies last night. Thank you! Did you know that they buy their tomatoes and onions locally?

Winter CSA – SOLD OUT

You may place your name on a waiting list for our winter CSA, which runs October through December. If someone cancels, you have a chance at a share in the order that you signed on. (The total cost to you is $140.)

Save the date: Saturday, September 12^th, 5:00-7:00pm – Annual CSA Member Cook-out

Recipes of the Week

Broiled Eggplant with Crunchy Parmesan Crust

This is such an easy way to make a crunchy-crusted eggplant appetizer that you may even feel guilty about the raves it receives. Recipe-tester Barbara suggests topping this dish with tomato sauce. Angelic Organics Kitchen (adapted from Recipes from a Kitchen Garden).

oil for greasing the baking sheet

mayonnaise

eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch slices

freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup)

1. Preheat the broiler. Lightly oil a baking sheet.

2. Spread mayonnaise sparingly on both sides of each eggplant slice, then dip the slices in the grated Parmesan cheese, thoroughly coating both sides.

3. Arrange the slices in a single layer on the oiled baking sheet and place under the broiler until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the slices and broil until golden brown and crunchy on top and the eggplant is soft, about 3 minutes more.

Tomatillo Salsa Verde

To cook the tomatillos, you can either roast them in the oven, or boil them. Roasting will deliver more flavor; boiling may be faster and use less energy. Either way works, though boiling is a more common way to cook the tomatillos.

•1 1/2 lb tomatillos

•1/2 cup chopped white onion

•1/2 cup cilantro leaves

•1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

•1/4 teaspoon sugar

•2 Jalapeño peppers OR 2 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped

•Salt to taste

1 Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well.

2a Roasting method Cut in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin.

2b Boiling method Place tomatillos in a saucepan, cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove tomatillos with a slotted spoon.

3 Place tomatillos, lime juice, onions, cilantro, chili peppers, sugar in a food processor (or blender) and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed. Season to taste with salt. Cool in refrigerator.

Serve with chips or as a salsa accompaniment to Mexican dishes.

Makes 3 cups.

Simply Recipes http://simplyrecipes.com

Other Tomatillo Ideas

Chop them up with tomatoes and onions to make a delicious pan sauce.

Eat them fresh, like an apple.

Go to our blog for the relish recipe and serve over fish or chicken.

Posted by Hannah and Eric @ 12:17 PM EDT

21 Aug · Fri 2009

CSA Contents Week of August 24th

Yellow squash

tomatillos

cherry/sungold tomatoes

slicing/paste tomatoes

potatoes

beans

baby carrots

beets

red onions

basil

a flower bouquet

Extra choices will include peas, eggplant, zucchini, cucumbers

You may order extra herbs by 10:00pm the night before your pick-up (either Sunday or Wednesday): parsley, sage, thyme, mint, cilantro, oregano, extra basil. Please also let me know if you'd like a regular bunch or a double-size bunch.

Posted by Hannah and Eric @ 10:03 PM EDT

Week 10 Newsletter with recipes

CSA Newsletter

Volume 5

Issue 10- Farm

August 20, 2009

__________________________________________________________________________________

Week 10

New to everyone this week: tomatillos and sage! Other exciting additions for our half share members this week: jalapeno peppers and cured garlic. And potatoes are back! Remember to go to our Local Harvest website blog (

Flowers for Special Events

Garden Progress

The eggplant in our greenhouse looks amazing! We just got a tip from another local grower to prune them like we do the tomatoes to force them to fruit. Right now we have big, healthy plants and lots of flowers. I think we’ll try the pruning this week to see what happens. We’re giving our kale and Swiss chard a break to recover and get big. Our late green cabbage is filling in really well. We’ll probably have some to offer in a week or two. Our new plantings put in for fall are coming in nicely. The interns worked really hard last week to prepare two more beds in the garden by the house for turnips and more beets. I’ll plant those on Saturday, our next good biodynamic root day. We’ll also have arugula going in soon. By planting late, we don’t have problems with flea beetles.

Unfortunately, it’s been another bad corn year for us. I’ll do my best to buy in some local sweet corn so everyone can have a bit, but it’ll be a couple weeks yet. Please let me know in the meantime if you DO NOT want conventional sweet corn.

Farm News

We’ve finally had a great weather streak for making hay! Richard has been out in the field almost non-stop mowing, tedding, raking, and baling. Eric and the interns have been unloading and placing hay in the mow. They have one more round to go and we’ll be all set for the winter. Third cut will be grazed by the cattle.

NOFA Summer Conference, Amherst, Massachusetts

We were so busy getting ready for the C.S.A. that we forgot to tell you about the great NOFA conference we had the privilege of attending. We packed as many workshops into three days as we could! We took workshops on everything from cheese making to raising pigs in the forest to building root cellars. We also got to eat lots of yummy local food, go contra dancing, and hear keynote speaker and community farmer Will Allen. I think it’s safe to say it was definitely worth the trek to MA. NOFA is a great resource for anyone who values organic farming and local food systems, if you haven’t heard about them check out their website at:

www.nofavt.org. ~ Ellyn Gaydos

Winter CSA – SOLD OUT

Save the date: Saturday, September 12^th, 5:00-7:00pm – Annual CSA Member Cook-out

Recipes of the Week

Tomatillo Relish

large-sized tomatillo (about tennis-ball size), or two smaller ones

1 jalapeno chili pepper, OR 1 red cherry pepper

1/2 a medium-sized onion

1 clove garlic

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp olive oil (approximately)

1/2 tsp celery seed

1 TBS fresh cilantro (or parsley), chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Start by finely chopping the tomatillo, chili pepper, onion and garlic. A food processor will work, but please don't let the vegetables process into a paste...you want some little chunks in there!

Add the chopped vegetables to a container with a tight-fitting lid. A plastic food-storage container is perfect, as the relish will be stored in it! Add the remaining ingredients, and put the lid onto the container. Shake and swirl the container to thoroughly mix the ingredients. That's it, you're done.

Let the mixture rest in the refrigerator for at least one hour before using, to allow the flavors to blend. Immediately before serving, give the container another shake. Use to top hot dogs and burgers, or add it to a sandwich. Makes about 1 cup.

Squash Casserole

6 cups large diced yellow squash and zucchini

Vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon House seasoning, recipe follows

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 cup crushed butter crackers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Saute the squash in a little vegetable oil over medium-low heat until it has completely broken down, about 15 to 20 minutes. Line a colander with a clean tea towel. Place the cooked squash in the lined colander. Squeeze excess moisture from the squash. Set aside.

In a medium size skillet, saute the onion in butter for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and mix all ingredients together except cracker crumbs. Pour mixture into a buttered casserole dish and top with cracker crumbs. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

House Seasoning:

1 cup salt

1/4 cup black pepper

1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Other Yellow squash ideas:

Cut into sticks, toss in olice oil and little sea salt and pepper. Grill until tender.

Slice thin and add to your green salad

Make a batch of summer kraut with squash as an ingredient

Pickle it on it’s own

Add it to your next chili

Posted by Hannah and Eric @ 09:57 PM EDT

15 Aug · Sat 2009

Flowers for Special Events

Posted by Hannah and Eric @ 01:54 PM EDT

CSA Contents Week of August 17th

2 pounds potatoes

3 summer squash

cherry tomatoes

5 slicing tomatoes

2 paste tomatoes

1 head cauliflower

1 pound beans

1 bag of lettuce mix

jalapeno peppers

tomatillos

basil

sage

1 flower bouquet

We're taking a break from kale and Swiss chard to let the plants recharge and grow some more. However, if you still want some, you may make a special request by Sunday night 10:00pm by emailing or calling, 868-5083.

You may also request mint, oregano, thyme, and parsley by the same deadline.

Trades will be available. Please do not trade out your herbs as they are really an extra added bonus.

We're leaving the rest of the peppers on the plant

Posted by Hannah and Eric @ 01:51 PM EDT

Week 9 Newsletter with Recipes

CSA Newsletter

Volume 5

Issue 9

August 10 and 13, 2009

__________________________________________________________________________________

Week 9

This week is our half-way mark. It’s hard to believe that there are only nine weeks left to our regular season CSA. New to everyone this week: jalapeno peppers, beets and cured garlic! Other exciting additions for our half share members this week: cauliflower and leeks. We won’t be offering potatoes for another 1-2 weeks. We’re allowing the skins to thinken up before we dig the whole lot. Remember to go to our Local Harvest website blog (

Farm update:
Hannah Gibbons is leaving us today to go back to New York, spend some time with her family and start her senior year in college. We’re going to miss her so much! If you haven’t followed her blog this summer, take some time to check it out now and catch up. Hannah has asked anyone who can, to leave her feedback on her blog. You can join Blogspot and leave comments right on her blog, or you can email her at the address she included in a recent entry. Thank you, Hannah for all your hard work and enthusiasm this summer! Good luck your senior year, and COME BACK TO VISIT!

Brian is back from a visit with family this week and will fill the third intern position now through the end of the season. He came back yesterday to help Eric and Maggie with Sunday’s harvest since the rest of us were still in Massachusetts at the NOFA Summer Conference.

Garden Progress

Our beets are getting nice and big. Ellyn really enjoys harvesting these. We picked a few for our NOFAvore celebration two weeks ago and now have enough for all of our members! Our garlic has dried in the greenhouse for a couple weeks now and is ready to be cleaned up and distributed. We’ll save out enough for ourselves to double our crop for next year. We have to save about 200 heads to be able to do that. If we double one more time when we plant in 2010, we might have enough! We’re just excited to be able to save enough of our own to grow so we don’t have to buy it in.

We’ll have tomatillos soon and more cherry and sungold tomatoes. Unfortunately, it’s been another bad corn year for us. I’ll do my best to buy in some local sweet corn so everyone can have a bit, but it’ll be a couple weeks yet. Please let me know in the meantime if you DO NOT want conventional sweet corn.

NOFA Summer Conference, Amherst, Massachusetts

The conference was great! We’ll be sharing tidbits with you over the coming weeks. One of the most interesting workshops I went to was about producing nutrient dense foods. It really got into soil science and the biological needs of plants. I learned how to monitor the soil and adjust for plant needs. I’m excited to get even more into the nitty-gritty to produce even better quality food for you and for my family!

Winter CSA – SOLD OUT

Save the date: Saturday, September 12^th, 5:00-7:00pm – Annual CSA Member Cook-out

Recipes of the Week

Leek and potato pie

1 lb leeks

salt

1 1/2 lb potatoes

1 1/2 oz margarine or butter

1 oz plain flour

1/2 pint warm milk

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

freshly ground black pepper

2 oz Cheddar cheese, grated

margarine or butter, for greasing

1. Trim the leeks, discarding most of the dark green part. Slice thickly and wash under cold running water until completely clean. Cook in boiling salted water for 8-10 minutes or until almost tender. Drain thoroughly, reserving the stock.

2. At the same time, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for about 20 - 25 minutes or until tender. Drain.

3. While the vegetables are cooking, make the sauce: melt 25 g (1 oz) margarine gently in a small saucepan, sprinkle in the flour and stir over low heat for 2 minutes until straw-coloured. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in all but 2 tablespoons of the milk, then return to the heat and simmer, stirring, until thick and smooth. Measure out 150 ml (1/4 pint) of the leek stock; stir gradually into white sauce. Bring back to the boil, stirring constantly,

then add the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Remove the pan from the heat.

4. Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F) Gas 5.

5. Slice one-third of the potatoes, stir them gently into the leeks and turn into the base of a greased 1 /2 pint ovenproof dish. Pour on the sauce; carefully turn vegetables with a fork, to coat thoroughly.

6. Add remaining margarine and milk to the rest of the potatoes, season with pepper, then mash them until smooth. Beat in half the cheese with a wooden spoon. Taste and adjust seasoning.

7. Spread the mashed potato over the vegetables, then sprinkle on the rest of the cheese. Stand the dish on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown. Serve hot.

Other Ideas for Leeks:
-Add to an omlete with mushrooms
-Chop up and have with a baked potato
-Add them to a potato fritter

Mediterranean Beet and Yogurt Salad

By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

4 medium size beets,

11/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, white wine vinegar, or cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste)

1/2 cup thick Greek style yogurt or drained yogurt

2 tablespoons minced dill

1. Roast the beets, peel and cut in wedges or slice into half-moons. Stir together the vinegar, sugar, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss with the warm beets and allow to marinate for 2 to 3 hours at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

2. Place the garlic in a mortar and pestle, add 1/8 teaspoon salt, and mash to a paste. Stir into the yogurt. Stir in half the dill. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain the beets and stir some of the marinade into the yogurt (to taste). Toss with the beets, or arrange the beets on a platter and drizzle the yogurt over the top. Sprinkle on the remaining dill, and serve.

Advance preparation:

The beets can be prepared and marinated 4 or 5 days ahead.

Variation: You may substitute chopped or slivered fresh mint for the dill.

roasted

Posted by Hannah and Eric @ 01:44 PM EDT

06 Aug · Thu 2009

CSA Contents Week of August 10th

1 head lettuce or lettuce mix

1 head cauliflower

1 bag beans

1 bunch leeks

yellow summer squash

slicing tomatoes

cherry/sungold tomatoes

green peppers

basil

beets

1 garlic bulb

1 flower bouquet

Swiss chard and kale if you want it.

There will be trade options as usual.

Maybe some surprises!

Posted by Hannah and Eric @ 05:42 PM EDT

Week 8 Newsletter with recipes

CSA Newsletter

Volume 5

Issue 8- Farm

August 6, 2009

__________________________________________________________________________________

Week 8

New to everyone this week: cauliflower and leeks! Another exciting addition for our half share members this week: celery and beans. We won’t be offering potatoes for another 2-3 weeks. We’re allowing the skins to thinken up before we dig the whole lot. Remember to go to our Local Harvest website blog (

Farm update:

This past Wednesday night, Maplewood showed off its land and enjoyed the good graces of its harvest with company at its "NOFA-vore" event. NOFA, the Northeastern Organic Farming Association came to the farm, set up their wood burning pizza stove, and created a variety of delicious pizzas topped with our fresh vegetables and ground beef. Rain, thankfully, only snuck in at the end of the event, but unfortunately has been in and out ever since. It’s watering our crops, but sometimes preventing us from getting as much weeding at we should, not that any of the interns are complaining! The spotty rain has placed putting up hay at an awkward position, but we were able to put two wagon loads up Saturday evening. The calf we had been bottle-feeding, now has moved to drinking from a bucket and enjoys eating as much delicious grass and wildflowers as the rope she’s tied to allows! ~Hannah Gibbons

Garden Progress

We got an old rototiller last week. It’ll get us through until we find a better used one. Eric spent most of a day fiddling with it, trying to work out some kinks. We hope to have enough dry weather this week to use it where it’s needed. Our new crops of lettuce, carrots, beets, and basil are coming in nicely. They all need to be weeded out this week and mulched where possible. The summer squash should be just exploding in production by next week. We expect the same from our green peppers soon! Unfortunately we’re having a difficult tomato year again. We’ve been hit by blight in our tomatoes and potatoes. Last week the crew worked to remove all of the foliage from the 10 potato rows. First Eric mowed as much as he could. Two rows had to be hand-cut. Then everything had to be raked out and removed with wheelbarrows and a skid steer. Everything is in a pile waiting to be burned when it dries out a bit. We’re just weathering it with the tomatoes, trying to get as much as we can from our 600+ plants. I’m afraid it won’t be much. The cherry and sungold tomatoes look fine though. And the paste tomatoes don’t look as bad as the rest.

NOFA Summer Conference, Amherst, Massachusetts

The interns and I and our friend/member/volunteer, Susie, are off to attend the annual NOFA Summer Conference this weekend. We have 2 ½ days of workshops, speakers, farm tours, and fun! We’ll tell you all about it next week. I am attending for the first time since Madeleine was born (2004) without the kids! Thank you, Hubby! I’m actually feeling nervous! It’ll be great though.

Winter CSA – SOLD OUT

Save the date: Saturday, September 12^th, 5:00-7:00pm – Annual CSA Member Cook-out

Recipes of the Week

Potato Leek Soup

2 tablespoons of Butter or Margarine
1 clove of Garlic grated
All of your Leeks
2 Potatoes (about a pound)
4 cups of Chicken Broth or 4 cups of hot water with two chicken stock cubes
1/4 teaspoon of Salt
1/4 teaspoon of Pepper
1/2 pint of Milk or Cream

1. Chop Leeks
2. Melt Butter/Margarine in a pan and add chopped Leeks and Garlic, stir frequently for 10 minutes
3. Peel Potatoes and chop into cubes.
4. Add all remaining ingredients to the pan, with the exception of the Milk/Cream.
5. Cook for about 15 minutes, longer if you want softer potatoes.
6. Just before serving, pour the Milk/Cream into the soup and stir well.

Other Ideas for Leeks:
-Add to an omlete with mushrooms
-Chop up and have with a baked potato
-Add them to a potato fritter

Balsamic & Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

8 cups 1-inch-thick slices cauliflower florets (about 1 large head; see Tip)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Toss cauliflower, oil, marjoram, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread on a large rimmed baking sheet and roast until starting to soften and brown on the bottom, 15 to 20 minutes. Toss the cauliflower with vinegar and sprinkle with cheese. Return to the oven and roast until the cheese is melted and any moisture has evaporated, 5 to 10 minutes more.

Tip: To prepare florets from a whole head of cauliflower, remove outer leaves. Slice off the thick stem. With the head upside down and holding a knife at a 45° angle, slice into the smaller stems with a circular motion—removing a "plug" from the center of the head. Break or cut florets into the desired size.

Posted by Hannah and Eric @ 05:37 PM EDT

« Previous month (Jun 2009) | Main | Next month (Aug 2009) »

Maplewood Organics

29 Aug · Sat 2009

CSA Contents Week of August 31st

Week 11 Newsletter with Recipes

21 Aug · Fri 2009

CSA Contents Week of August 24th

Week 10 Newsletter with recipes

15 Aug · Sat 2009

Flowers for Special Events

CSA Contents Week of August 17th

Week 9 Newsletter with Recipes

06 Aug · Thu 2009

CSA Contents Week of August 10th

Week 8 Newsletter with recipes

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