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Maplewood Organics

A Diverse Eco-Farm in Northern Vermont
(Highgate, Vermont)

CSA Contents week of August 30, 2010

Tomatoes - slicing and paste

Some cherry tomatoes (maybe extra choice)

Rattlesnake pole beans

Beets

Carrots

Onions

Potatoes

Delicata Squash

Apples

Extra choices will include broccoli, summer squash, zucchini, and more!

Please order kale and beet greens if interested this week by the morning before your scheduled pick up day. Kale can be ordered in bunches (10 leaves per bunch). Beet greens can be ordered by the pound.

868-5083

maplewoodorganics@yahoo.com

Hannah and Eric
02:44 PM EDT

2010 Week 11 Newsletter with recipes

CSA Newsletter

Only two Winter Shares left!

Volume 6

Issue 11- Farm and High Street

August 26, 2010

Find us now on Facebook!

Week 11

This week we have bits of some new items for folks who pick up every other week: tomatoes, broccoli, green peppers, and delicata squash. I'm especially excited about the squash. We also have some eggplant and Rattlesnake pole beans this week. The pole beans are so tender and tasty! They're my favorite summer bean! The tomatoes are slow in coming, but we should have a boom in the next couple weeks. some of the new items will be in your extra choice area until the plants start producing more in the coming weeks.

Save the Dates

Saturday, September 18th, 5:00-8:00pm

Annual CSA Member Picnic

Come enjoy good company, tour the farm by foot and hay rides, and eat delicious Maplewood and member food! Please bring a dish to share. You may also bring a friend who might be interested in joining our CSA next year. Maplewood Organics will provide burgers and fixings, place settings, and non-alcoholic beverages. We'll have dinner around 6:00. Keep an eye out for an Evite for this event.

Sunday, September 19th, 1:00pm-4:00pm

NOFA Weed Dating Event

This is NOFA's play on the highly successful singles phenomenon called 'Speed Dating.' In Speed Dating, each participant spends a pre-determined amount of time with one potential mate, then moves on to the next. In Weed Dating, it’s much the same—except, instead of sipping on Cosmos while chatting with your partner, you’ll be weeding a bed of vegetables or doing other similar, light labor. This is a great opportunity to meet other farm and food enthusiasts, farmers, and NOFA-VT staff. We hope to not only ignite the flames of human companionship, but tighten the relationships between farmers and consumers as well.

Singles will receive a farm tour and refreshments, in addition to cultivating new connections. Farm experience is not required, but please come prepared for an hour’s work. Not looking for love? Friend-seekers are welcome as well.

Also, watch for our October and November farm events! To be announced...

Garden Progress and Farm News

Our carrots, beets and onions are looking really great! We'll start to distribute them again next week. Even though it's still August, it sure feels like fall is in the air. Our late planting of summer squash and zucchini looks really good. I'm hoping that our harvest the second time around will be better than the first. Also coming in nicely are the parsnips and sweet potatoes - a new crop this year. We'll take a break from the peppers after this week and see if we can get some red and gold fruit. I was pleasantly surprised to find some Snowy eggplant ready. The usual purple ones are a bit further behind, although I did find two. The Rattlesnake pole beans were such a pleasure to pick! We filled three buckets pretty quickly. We're brainstorming the best way to trellis even more for next year. The bush beans are such a pain to pick that I'm pretty sure I'll only plant pole beans next year. It's fun to look ahead! Coming up soon we'll be planting turnips, radishes and arugula for September and October shares.

Recipes of the Week

Delicata Squash

1 delicata squash

1tbsp Cinnamon

1/4c chopped nuts

When preparing in an oven, cut the squash in half by cutting down the length of the oblong shape. Place the squash with the skin side down in a dish with 1/2 inch of water. Cover the dish and bake for 1/2 to 3/4 hour at 375 degrees.

In a microwave, cook for approximately 20 minutes in a dish with a loose cover of plastic wrap.

Cut in half and remove seeds.

Bake upside down in a baking dish at 350 for 40 minutes or until done.

Sprinkle with cinnamon and chopped nuts.

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Braised Romano Beans You may have to adjust the recipe a bit according to the amounts you have.

Time: 1 1/2 hours

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup minced celery

1/2 cup minced carrot

1 cup minced red onion

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1 cup peeled, crushed ripe tomatoes, preferably plum tomatoes, with their juices

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds romano beans (flat green beans), ends trimmed (or fresh cranberry beans in their shells).

1. Heat oil in a deep skillet or a shallow three-quart saucepan. Add celery, carrot and onion and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables barely begin to brown, about 25 minutes. Add garlic and rosemary and cook until fragrant, a few minutes. Stir in tomato paste and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until mixture is well combined, about 5 minutes.

2. Add beans, setting them in pan all in one direction. Add 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer. Baste beans, season with salt, reduce heat to low. Cook gently, partly covered, turning beans in sauce from time to time, until beans are very tender, about 40 minutes. Adjust seasoning and serve hot or at room temperature.

Yield: 6 servings.

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Hannah and Eric
02:39 PM EDT
 

CSA Contents Week of August 23rd

The first of the:

tomatoes, green peppers, broccoli

These may be extra choice items depending on just how much is ready.

Zucchini, summer squash, cucumbers (these may also be choice items)

Delicata squash

Apples (some tart, some sweet...great for eating and baking!)

Potatoes

Green and yellow beans (slowing down) and rattlesnake pole beans

If you want kale, please let me know by early morning the day before your share day. Thank you!

Maybe some surprises!

Hannah and Eric
11:13 PM EDT

2010 Week 10 Newsletter with Recipes

CSA Newsletter

Only three Winter Shares left!

Volume 6

Issue 10- Farm and High Street

August 19, 2010

Find us now on Facebook!

Week 10

This week we have bits of some new items: tomatoes, broccoli, green peppers, and delicata squash. I'm especially excited about the squash. The tomatoes are slow in coming, but we should have a boom in the next couple weeks.

Welcome, Sita!

Please help us welcome our newest intern: Sita! Sita is from the Los Angeles area of California. She drove out east solo last weekend arriving at the farm early Monday morning. She spent a day resting and settling in and then jumped right into farm life. She is eager to experience farm life and New England and is looking forward to the change in the leaves. Sita will be with us at least into December.

Save the Dates

Saturday, September 18th, 5:00-8:00pm

Annual CSA Member Picnic

Come enjoy good company, tour the farm by foot and hay rides, and eat delicious Maplewood and member food! Please bring a dish to share. You may also bring a friend who might be interested in joining our CSA next year. Maplewood Organics will provide burgers and fixings, place settings, and non-alcoholic beverages. We'll have dinner around 6:00. Keep an eye out for an Evite for this event.

Sunday, September 19th, 1:00pm-4:00pm

NOFA Weed Dating Event

Details to come soon!

Also, watch for our October and November farm events! To be announced...

Garden Progress and Farm News

We are still seeking volunteers on Sundays and Wednesdays during harvest and prep. We're also seeking a volunteer to come cut flowers on Sunday or Monday morning (before 10:00am) and on Wednesday or Thursday morning (before 11:30 am). This is a fun job! If you want to help on a different day, please get in touch. There's always plenty to do every day of the week!

This past weekend, the interns and I went to the Northeast Organic Farmers Summer Conference in Amherst, MA. As usual, I've come back inspired and full of new ideas to try, including: a new marketing angle, more information about growing nutrient dense foods, new small fruits to grow, information about growing wheat small-scale, new season extension ideas, new mulching options, and exposure to exciting research about not only remineralizing soil but feeding it in innovative ways to stimulate soil life. The interns seemed to enjoy themselves too and learned a lot about their varied interests including permaculture, the family cow, felting, biodynamics, mushrooms, and much, much more!

Recipes of the Week

Garlic Delicata Squash

Very simple, and very good - semicircles of delicata squash dressed with olive oil and fresh parsley and garlic. You can serve this hot from the oven or at room temperature."

Delicata squash

olive oil, drizzle

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or thyme to taste - not a 1/4 cup)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Oil a 9x13 inch baking dish.

2. Peel delicata squash, slice in half lengthwise, and remove seeds. Cut into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place in baking dish, and drizzle with olive oil. Toss with garlic and parsley.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until tender.

Roasted Delicata Squash

1 delicata squash

1 medium yellow onion, diced

balsamic vinegar

olive oil

salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Cut a delicata squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.

3. Fill the cavities of the squash halves with diced onion, then sprinkle with vinegar, oil, s & p.

4. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until onions are brown and caramelized and squash is soft.

Broccoli With Garlic

.

•16 ounces broccoli florettes (Adjust your recipe based on how much broccoli you have.)

•1 tablespoon butter

•1 tablespoon roasted walnut oil or olive oil

•2 cloves garlic, finely minced

•1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

•2 teaspoons lemon juice

•1/2 teaspoon salt

•Dash black pepper

Steam the broccoli just until tender.

In a small saucepan, heat the butter and oil; add minced garlic, red onion, and lemon juice. Cook just until tender. Toss with the broccoli along with the salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serves 4.

Broccoli with Vinaigrette


Cut the broccoli into bite-size florets. Peel the stems and slice into 1/4" thick pieces. Steam just until tender, about 3 minutes. While the broccoli is steaming, whisk the dressing ingredients in a bowl. Add the steamed broccoli and toss to mix. Serve immediately. Serve 4-6.

1 head Broccoli
1/2 cup wine or herb vinegar
2 tsp. hearty or Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced

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Hannah and Eric
11:08 PM EDT
 

CSA Contents Week of August 16, 2010

The first of the:

tomatoes, green peppers, broccoli

These may be extra choice items depending on just how much is ready.

Zucchini, summer squash, cucumbers (these may also be choice items)

Potatoes

Green and yellow beans (slowing down)

garlic

Kale

Maybe some surprises!

Hannah and Eric
05:25 AM EDT

2010 Week 9 Newsletter with Recipes

CSA Newsletter

Only four Winter Shares left!

Volume 6

Issue 9- NMC

August 9, 2010

Find us now on Facebook!

Week 9

More beans this week! The zucchini, summer squash and cucumbers are starting to produce a bit better with the moisture in the soil. Now if it would stop raining for a bit and let the ground and the plants catch up taking it up. We do have some plants dying from too much water...one end of the bean rows, some of the squash plants, some tomatoes. It's just too much at once.... I did a walk through Friday and found broccoli and cauliflower starting to form. We're also close to offering green peppers and delicata squash. There are some cherry tomatoes ripening but so far they are splitting from too much moisture. Let's hope that that will turn around soon!

Save the Dates

Saturday, September 18th, 5:00-8:00pm

Annual CSA Member Picnic

Come enjoy good company, tour the farm by foot and hay rides, and eat delicious Maplewood and member food! Please bring a dish to share. You may also bring a friend who might be interested in joining our CSA next year. Maplewood Organics will provide burgers and fixings, place settings, and non-alcoholic beverages. We'll have dinner around 6:00. Keep an eye out for an Evite for this event.

Sunday, September 19th, 1:00pm-4:00pm

NOFA Weed Dating Event

Details to come soon!

Also, watch for our October and November farm events! To be announced...

Garden Progress and Farm News

We are seeking volunteers on Sundays and Wednesdays during harvest and prep, please consider volunteering during this next month while we're waiting for our next intern to arrive. We're also seeking a volunteer to come cut flowers on Sunday or Monday morning (before 10:00am) and on Wednesday or Thursday morning (before 11:30 am). This is a fun job!

It's wet. Some areas are so wet you can't walk through. Some areas have to be walked through for harvest. One of our workers sunk right in picking beans last week and needed help getting her boot out of the mud. Most everything is doing fine though and will continue to do fine if the excessive rain backs off.

The squash looks amazing right now. I've noticed sugar dumpling, delicata, pie pumpkins, spaghetti squash, acorn and butter cup squash all forming. Some of the pie pumpkins are starting to turn! Our pole beans are climbing high on the bean poles and are starting to bloom. Our fall carrots are fattening up. Many of the seeds Robert and I planted recently are coming up, including lettuce, fall beets, and another round of zucchini and summer squash.

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Recipes of the Week

Kale and Banana Smoothie (1 serving)

"Nutrient-rich kale is hidden in this delicious banana smoothie. . . perfect for those of us who have a hard time getting our daily dose of veggies!"

1 banana

2 cups chopped kale

1/2 cup light unsweetened soy milk 1 tablespoon flax seeds

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1. Place the banana, kale, soy milk, flax seeds, and maple syrup into a blender. Cover, and puree until smooth. Serve over ice

Sweet Pepper Pasta Toss with Kale

1 (8 ounce) package uncooked farfalle

(bow tie) pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 cup roughly chopped kale 4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 pinch dried basil

1 pinch ground cayenne pepper

salt and ground black pepper to taste

8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in red pepper, yellow pepper, kale and garlic. Season with basil, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender.

3. In a large bowl, toss cooked pasta with skillet mixture. Sprinkle with feta cheese to serve

Basic Roasted Beets

3 medium beets

1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Heat the oven to 375°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Rinse the beets and trim off any leafy

tops. Wrap in aluminum foil and place in the oven. Roast until tender and easily pierced with a

knife, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool.

2. When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel using a paring knife or by pushing the skin with

your fingers.

3. Slice the beets, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

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SOURCE: http://www.chow.com/recipes/11100-basic-roasted-beets

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Hannah and Eric
05:18 AM EDT
 

CSA Contents Weeks of August 9, 2010

Garlic

Onions

Zucchini, summer squash, cucumbers (may be choice items...)

Green and yellow beans

Potatoes

Beets

Kale

Basil

Beet greens are available to order in one pound increments as a free extra. Please let me know by the day before your pick-up how many you would like! Thank you!

Still waiting patiently for tomatoes, cauliflower and broccoli! Maybe not so patiently...

Hannah and Eric
06:45 AM EDT

2010 Week 8 Newsletter with Recipes

CSA Newsletter

Only four Winter Shares left!

Volume 6

Issue 8- NMC

August 2, 2010

Find us now on Facebook!

Week 8

Lots and lots of beans!!! The first crop is finishing up and the second crop is coming in. You should be able to freeze some for the winter if you want to! We are also offering leeks and onions this week. We are anxiously waiting for the tomatoes to start turning red. The plants look very healthy and we have lots of green tomatoes. We're also waiting on our broccoli and cauliflower that are late in maturing. They really don't like hot weather... I'm hoping that the rain this week will move some of our crops along. There is a bounty preparing to come your way!

Save the Dates

Saturday, August 7th, 1:00-5:00pm @Maplewood Organics

Crop Mob

Bring friends, neighbors, and family. Come ready to weed, harvest, plant cover crop, mulch! Help us clean up the gardens for some great fall growth. Light refreshments will be provided! Please RSVP by emailing or calling by August 6th (maplewoodorganics@yahoo.com or 868-5083).

Saturday, September 18th, 5:00-8:00pm

Come enjoy good company, tour the farm by foot and hay rides, and eat delicious Maplewood and member food! Please bring a dish to share. Maplewood Organics will provide burgers and fixings, place settings, and non-alcoholic beverages. We'll have dinner around 6:00. Keep an eye out for an Evite for this event.

Also, watch for our October and November farm events! To be announced...

Garden Progress and Farm News

We are seeking volunteers on Sundays and Wednesdays during harvest and prep, please consider volunteering during this next month while we're waiting for our next intern to arrive. We're also seeking a volunteer to come cut flowers on Sunday or Monday morning (before 10:00am) and on Wednesday or Thursday morning (before 11:30 am). This is a fun job!

So we saved the garlic harvest for Robert's return this week. It'll all be dug on Tuesday! Eric and I started digging up the red potatoes on Sunday. I took some plant samples and sent them to the UVM lab to have them tested for blight. I'm happy to report that we DO NOT have late blight! Hurray! Really terrific news. We do have early blight and potato leaf hoppers, but these are both manageable problems and are not a risk to our tomatoes.

Maggie has been weeding like crazy. She cleared some areas in the squash part of the garden. I noticed a difference with a couple days in the plants. The next priority area is the onions so we can harvest more easily. Then back to the squash. Eric should get to try out the tractor in our new plantings this week or next. If it works like we think it will, I'll learn how to drive that tractor too!

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Recipes of the Week

Leek and Onion Bisque recipe

6 cups of chicken stock.
1 clove of garlic chopped.
1 cup of leeks, cleaned and chopped.
1 cup of celery chopped.
1 cup of onion chopped.
¼ cup of white wine.
¼ cup of sour cream.
¼ cup of cream cheese.
¼ cup of heavy cream.
2 tablespoons of butter.
Salt and pepper, to taste.

Sauté the chopped leeks, celery, onion, and garlic in the butter until tender.
Add the chicken stock and white wine and simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove from stove and purée in your food processor.
Add the sour cream, cream cheese and heavy cream and blend thoroughly.
Strain through a fine sieve and return to pot.
Bring back to a simmer and add salt and pepper to taste.

Just in case you haven't checked out the kale recipes on our Local Harvest page...

http://www.localharvest.org/blog/13345/

Crispy Kale Recipe from http://kidscooking.about.com/od/sidedishes/r/crispykale.htm?p=1

Kale recipes aren't normally on the top of most parents lists when they're looking for vegetables the kids will like. But I urge you to try this crispy kale. It is really extraordinary.

Although the kale is roasted, not fried, it becomes crispy and salty, almost like french fries.

This kale recipe is incredibly healthy, too. It boasts a whopping 309% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, 201% vitamin C, 14% calcium, 10% iron, 3 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, and it only has 112 calories and 1 gram of saturated fat per serving!

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 25 minutes

•6-8 cups chopped fresh kale, hard stems removed (Just adjust according to how much you have.)

•2 Tbsp. olive oil

•1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

•1/2 tsp. kosher salt or sea salt

1.Place a rack on the lowest shelf of your oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.Spread kale out on a sturdy baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Toss to coat completely.

3.Place on the lowest rack of the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

4.Remove from oven and stir so that kale can get crispy all over.

5.Bake another 8 to 12 minutes or until kale is crispy. It should be just lightly browned and crispy to the touch.

If kale still bends, rather than crackles, when you touch it, it isn't done yet. Return it to the oven. Turn down the heat if it is getting too brown. Continue cooking until crispy.

6.Remove from oven, and sprinkle with sea salt (Maldon sea salt1 makes it taste fantastic) and serve immediately.

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Hannah and Eric
06:39 AM EDT
 

CSA Contents Week of August 2, 2010

Leeks

Onions

Green and yellow beans

Kale

Zucchini

Garlic

Basil

Extra choices will include: yellow squash, Swiss chard, and more.

If you WANT beet greens, please order them in one pound increments by early morning of the day before your pick-up.

We are anxiously awaiting red tomatoes, more cukes, broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. Hang in there!

Hannah and Eric
01:46 PM EDT

2010 Week 7 Newsletter with Recipes

CSA Newsletter

Only four Winter Shares left!

Volume 6

Issue 7- Farm and High Street

July 29, 2010

Find us now on Facebook!

Week 7

We're now harvesting some nice big kale. I've posted 17 different kale recipe ideas to our Local Harvest blog. Check them out! We also have zucchini and scallopini summer squash as a choice this week. They should start taking off this week so that everyone can have more. We'll continue to offer garlic. We will reserve some for our winter CSA members for the first time this year. We'll also save out enough to double our planting again this year.

If you're not going to eat your carrots right away, remove the tops so they stay nice and crisp. We'd be happy to do this for you when you pick up your share as well!

We'd like to thank Robert for holding down the fort for us this past weekend while we went away for my family's annual sibling camping weekend. We wouldn't have been able to do it without you staying here to work! Thank you so much!!! We got to spend a whole day at the beach and just relax and be together for two whole days.

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Garden Progress and Farm News

If any of you wants to volunteer on Sundays or Wednesdays during harvest and prep, please consider doing so during this next month while we're waiting for our next intern to arrive.

We plan to harvest all the rest of the garlic this week and set it up in the greenhouse to cure (dry). This will take most of a day. The garlic will remain in the greenhouse for a couple weeks where we'll check it for doneness every week. Then we'll sort it and clean it to prepare it for distribution and planting.

The crops that Robert and I started planting last week are coming up! We unfortunately missed the window of opportunity for flaming the carrots with so much else going on. We'll continue to plant this week as time allows. We planted about half of the area last week.

We also have some rows to clear out and replace with either fall crops or cover crops. I'd like to get some buckwheat in this year to help smother some problem weeks and attract more pollinators.

Our tomato plants look good! We have lots of green tomatoes and lush, green plants. There have been reports of late blight in surrounding states, but so far nothing in Vermont. I hope it stays that way! We really need a good tomato and potato year.

Our cabbage and broccoli are coming along too. They are later than last year. I expected to have some ready by now. The plants are nice and big and healthy. It should be more than a couple weeks until we have some of them to offer.

I want to apologize for not offering flowers yet. It has been a real challenge this year with less interns than usual to harvest, wash and divide all of your produce in time for distribution. So flowers have been skipped so far. I really do want to offer this beautiful bonus to you. Perhaps I'll make it out to cut some for you after printing this newsletter! We'll do our best to start cutting some stems for you, even if you have to choose flowers to make your own bouquet.

Recipes of the Week

Oven Roasted Green Beans

Pre-heat your oven to 450°F
1 pound green beans, stem ends snapped off
1 tablespoon olive oil
Table salt and ground black pepper

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread beans on baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and use hands to toss green beans to coat the evenly with the oil. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, toss to coat. Distribute in one even layer. Roast 10 minutes.

Remove baking sheet and redistributed beans. Put back in oven and continue baking 10-12 minutes until the beans are dark golden brown in spots and have started to shrivel.

Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

Beet and Carrot Quick Slaw

Recipe courtesy Kathleen Daelemans

.Prep Time:20 minInactive Prep Time:--Cook Time:--Level:

EasyServes:

4 servings.Ingredients

•2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

•4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

•1 teaspoon celery seed

•1/2 teaspoon sugar

•1/2 teaspoon salt

•2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

•Cracked black pepper

•1 pound beets, peeled and shredded, about 3 medium beets

•1/2 pound carrots, peeled and shredded, about 3 carrots

•3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley leaves

Directions

In a small non-reactive bowl whisk together Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, celery seed, sugar, salt and olive oil. Season with pepper. Place beets, carrots and parsley in large serving bowl, pour dressing over salad, toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings.

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Hannah and Eric
01:29 PM EDT
 

Kale Recipes - 17 Different Ideas!!!

Kale Recipes

Sweet and Savory Kale (from www.allrecipes.com)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

4 tsp. sugar/evaporated cane juice

1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 ½ cups chicken or vegetable broth

4 cups stemmed, torn, rinsed kale

¼ cup dried cranberries

salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup sliced almonds

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion softens and turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mustard, sugar, vinegar, and chicken stock, and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the kale, cover, and cook 5 minutes until wilted.

Stir in the dried cranberries, and continue boiling, uncovered, until the liquid has reduced by about half, and the cranberries have softened, about 15 minutes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with sliced almonds before serving.

Kale and Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes

(from www.101cookbooks.com)

3 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
sea salt
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic scapes, minced
1 bunch kale, large stems stripped and discarded, leaves chopped
1/2+ cup warm milk or cream
freshly ground black pepper
5 scallions, white and tender green parts, chopped
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, for garnish (opt)
Serves 6.

Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Add a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil and continue boiling for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, chopped kale, a big pinch of salt, and saute just until tender - about a minute. Set aside.

Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or fork. Slowly stir in the milk a few big splashes at a time. You are after a thick, creamy texture, so if your potatoes are on the dry side keep adding milk until the texture is right. Season with salt and pepper.

Dump the kale on top of the potatoes and give a quick stir. Transfer to a serving bowl, make a well in the center of the potatoes and pour the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with the scallions and Parmesan cheese.www.whfoods.com)

Awesome Collard Greens (from www.recipezaar.com)

40 min | 10 min prep

SERVES 6 -8

1 lb collard greens or kale (or 1/2 collards, 1/2 kale)

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup prepared salsa or

1 chopped tomato

2-4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1 tablespoon salt, to taste

hot sauce, to taste

Wash greens in a colander.

Chop into bite-sized pieces.

Throw all ingredients into a large pot and cover.

Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat and simmer.

Greens are done when they have shrunk down and are cooked through, usually about a half-hour, but you can let it simmer much longer.

Serve with its liquid.

Cheese, Chard, and Potato Casserole (you can also use kale!!!)

(from Wellspring CSA)

1 lb. chard, kale, or other greens

4-5 cups New Potatoes, sliced

2-3 tbsp. olive oil

6 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 C milk

2 or more cloves of garlic, crushed, minced, or finely chopped

salt to taste

1 tsp. each thyme and marjoram

1/2 or more chopped onion

3/4 C grated Parmesan cheese

Wash and dry chard (or greens), and chop into thin strips, 1/4 inch wide or thinner.Wash potatoes and cut into 1/8inch slices. Set aside 1 1/4 cups of potatoes. Add the olive oil to the greens and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, milk, garlic salt, herbs, onion, and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Add egg mixture to greens and mix well. Add the big portion of potatoes (NOT the 1 1/4 cups you set aside) to the greens and mix well. Pour into a greased, 9x13 baking dish. Place remaining potato slices on top. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F until potatoes in center are done (about 50 minutes). Uncover and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Continue baking until cheese is golden, about 10 minutes.

VEGGIE FRITTATA

Olive oil for pan

8 Eggs

½ cup milk

Preheat oven to "broil"

Beat eggs and milk together, then pour into oiled, oven-proof skillet over medium heat Chopped kale, broccoli, asparagus or spinach –depending on the season

Salt and pepper to taste

Feta or other cheese (optional)

Promptly add vegetables and stir evenly into egg mixture. At this point you can also add feta or other cheeses. Cook on low without stirring until eggs are mostly set, then transfer to oven and broil 2-4 minutes, until lightly golden on top. Cool to set before serving.

Hannah’s Veggie Stir Fry

I use whatever vegetables I have on hand for this, so it changes every week. This is this week’s version. Be creative with your cooking and keep it simple!

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 head broccoli, cut into florets

4 summer squash/zucchini, sliced or cut into chunks

4 leaves of kale with stems removed, chopped

(You can use carrots, leeks, potatoes, peppers, anything!)

Heat oil in cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender. Add all other veggies. Drizzle in more olive oil as needed. Cook stirring often until vegetables are crisp tender. Add tamari to taste and cook 1 minute longer. Serve over rice or as a vegetable side dish with fish or chicken.

Kale Chips

1 bunch of kale
2 tbs. olive oil
Kosher salt to taste

Heat oven to 350. Wash kale, dry thoroughly in salad spinner, and tear into bite-sized pieces. Toss with olive oil. Rub the leaves to make sure each gets a coating of oil so they crisp up well. Oil a baking sheet as well. Place in a single layer on the baking sheet. Sprinkle to taste with kosher salt. Cook in oven for about 12-15 minutes. Remove crisp pieces as they get done to allow the remaining kale chips to get even heat.

Greek Kale Salad

The Good News Packed with vitamin A, kale is tasty when it's blanched and tossed with a lemon–olive oil dressing and olives, good sources of healthy fat. ingredients

1 3/4 pounds kale, large stems discarded (3/4 pound leaves)

2 whole-wheat pita breads

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/3 cup pitted Calamata olives, cut lengthwise into slivers

2 ounces feta cheese, preferably French, crumbled (2/3 cup) directions

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the kale leaves until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool. Transfer the kale to a clean kitchen towel and squeeze dry. Fluff up the leaves, coarsely chop them and transfer to a large bowl.

Brush both sides of the pita breads with olive oil and bake for about 8 minutes, or until crisp. Cut the pita into wedges.

In a small bowl, combine the 1/4 cup of olive oil with the lemon juice and crushed red pepper and season with salt and pepper. Add the grape tomatoes, olives and crumbled feta to the kale and toss. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Serve the kale salad with the toasted pita wedges.

Wilted Kale Salad with a Creamy Chipotle Dressing

(from www.therawchef.blogs.com)

Serves 4-6For the wilted kale

4 heads kale (this will seem like a lot but will wilt down when the salt is added)
2T salt
2c baby tomatoes, sliced
1c hulled hemp seeds For the dressing

3 avocados
2 chipotle peppers*
½c olive oil
2T agave
¼c lemon juice

*If not using chipotle peppers, substitute with onion powder, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and tamari/nama shoyu

Remove the stems and then wash and cut the kale into small pieces. Place into a bowl, add salt and start to massage the kale until it wilts and takes on a ‘cooked’ texture.

Add the tomatoes and hemp seeds to the bowl and mix in by hand.

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until creamy and mix into kale by hand.

Recipe: Raw Tuscan Kale Salad With Pecorino (from nytimes.com)

1 bunch Tuscan kale (also known as black or lacinato kale)

1 thin slice country bread (part whole-wheat or rye is nice), or 1/4 cup homemade bread crumbs (coarse)

1/2 garlic clove, finely chopped

1/4 cup finely grated pecorino cheese, more for garnish

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for garnish

Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

1. Trim bottom 2 inches off kale stems and discard. Slice kale, including ribs, into 3/4-inch-wide ribbons. You should have 4 to 5 cups. Place kale in a large bowl.

2. If using bread, toast it until golden on both sides. Tear it into small pieces and grind in a food processor until mixture forms coarse crumbs.

3. Using a mortar and pestle, or with the back of a knife, pound garlic into a paste. Transfer garlic to a small bowl. Add 1/4 cup cheese, 3 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper flakes and black pepper, and whisk to combine. Pour dressing over kale and toss very well to thoroughly combine (dressing will be thick and need lots of tossing to coat leaves).

4. Let salad sit for 5 minutes, then serve topped with bread crumbs, additional cheese and a drizzle of oil.

Yield: 2 to 4 servings.

Toscana Soup (from allrecipes.com)

12 links spicy pork sausage,

sliced

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3/4 cup diced onion

1 1/4 teaspoons minced garlic 2 tablespoons chicken broth

4 cups water

2 potatoes, halved and sliced

2 cups sliced kale

1/3 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).

2. Place sausage links on a baking sheet and bake 25 minutes, or until cooked through. Slice into 1/2 inch slices.

3. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent; add garlic and cook 1 minute.

4. Stir in broth, water and potatoes; simmer 15 minutes.

5. Reduce heat to low and add sausage, kale and cream; simmer until heated through and serve.

Beans and Greens (Garlicky white beans and kale)

One bunch kale, about 1 lb.
3 TB extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups cooked cannelini or other white beans, including liquid
sea salt, to taste
ground pepper, to taste
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
1 tbs. Fresh parsley, chopped

Remove the stems from the kale. Rinse and soak the leaves well to remove any dirt. Spin dry in salad spinner. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a sauté pan. Add the minced garlic and crushed red pepper (if using) until the garlic begins to lightly brown (approximately 5-6 minutes). The garlic will continue to cook in the next step, so do not take it past lightly brown. Garlic becomes bitter if burned.

Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the kale, turning frequently. Saute the greens and garlic until the kale has just begun to wilt, but is still bright green, about three minutes. Transfer the kale to a bowl.

Add the beans and liquid to the same sauté pan. Bring to a fast simmer. Add the kale back to the pan, and heat thoroughly as you mix with the beans. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Kale Ideas – from Hannah’s kitchen

Kale is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C and manganese. It is also a very good source of dietary fiber, copper, calcium, vitamin B6 and potassium. (

Here are some ways I use it in my kitchen:

Steamed and served with butter and sea salt

Chopped, sautéed and added to mashed potatoes

Chopped and added to spaghetti sauce, beef stew, any soup, chicken and biscuits (with the gravy), lasagna.

Chopped and added to macaroni and cheese (boil with the pasta)

In stir fry

Hannah and Eric
07:18 AM EDT

CSA Contents Week of July 26, 2010

Green and yellow beans

Carrots

Beets

Fresh Garlic

Kale

Beet greens return

Peas (just a first taste)

Choice of zucchini and scallopini summer squash

Extra choice to add to share - potatoes, Swiss chard, more beans

Hannah and Eric
06:33 AM EDT

2010 Week 6 Newsletter with recipes

CSA Newsletter

Only four Winter Shares left!

Volume 6

Issue 6- Farm and High Street

July 22, 2010

Find us now on Facebook!

Week 6

New to your share this week: beets, carrots, and beans! Some of you are getting your first round of new potatoes, bok choy and raspberries. For bok choy tips remember to go to our Local Harvest website listed below! This is just the beginning of the beans. We should be able to harvest twice as much next week. Our first successful crop of peas is starting to produce. The plants are small because of the heat. I was only able to pick about half a pound on my first round. We'll wait and see. The zucchini and scallopini summer squash are starting to produce too! Yay! We won't dig any more new potatoes after this week. We want to give the plants a chance to finish their job so we'll have potatoes late this summer and fall.

Preview Your Weekly Share Every Friday!

Every Friday you can go online to Maplewood Organics’ Local Harvest listing to view what will most likely be in your share the following week. Just go to

http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M13345 and view click on the box that says "Read Our Blog". This is where I’ll post CSA share contents. We hope that this helps you plan your weekend shopping and your meals for the week! Also visit the blog if you only pick up every other week so you don't miss out on any news or recipes. At the bottom of each week's list, there's also information about ordering extras (herbs and kale right now). Make sure you call or email early the day before your scheduled pick-up.

Garden Progress and Farm News

Our crew is down to Robert and I and amazing Maggie! She stepped right in on harvest day and washed all of your produce! We'd have been working into the night without her help. Susie's back too, easing back in for an hour or two. If any of you wants to volunteer on Sundays or Wednesdays during harvest and prep, please consider doing so during this next month while we're waiting for our next intern to arrive.

The raspberries are finishing up this week. It hasn't been a great year for them. I'm considering cutting them all batch and giving them a full two years to recover. I'm still researching my best option. Robert and Justin did a great job pulling out the stinging nettle that was growing around the patch, so they are virtually weed free.

Robert and I started planting the final third of the big garden. So far we have planted our third crop of beans, carrots and beets for the fall and a late second crop of summer squash. This week, we plan to finish planting that section with lettuce, zucchini, broccoli, and more!

We have work to do behind the house too. We'll be digging the garlic this week or next for curing. We have two wide rows of lettuce and radishes that have gone by to pull up. We'll plant turnips and arugula there. The row of carrots that Robert and Yanara planted last week needs to be torched to kill off the first flush of weeds.

We'll have a weeding frenzy in the big fields this week too. We have finally figured out the correct spacing for our new rototiller and cultivating tractor, so our newest plantings and next year's plantings will be in especially good shape!

Recipes of the Week

Roasted Root Vegetables

Ingredients

2 pounds root vegetables (use potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, rutabagas, beets), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium onion, peeled and cut into 1/3-inch wedges

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

1 head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled

Chopped fresh herbs like rosemary or balsamic vinegar (optional)

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place the root vegetables and onion in a roasting pan.

2. Toss the vegetables with the olive oil and salt to taste. Do not crowd the vegetables.

3. Roast the mixture for a total of 45-50 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. After 30 minutes, scatter the garlic cloves in with the vegetables. Continue stirring every 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender and evenly browned.

4. Before serving, add a sprinkling of fresh chopped herbs or balsamic vinegar, if you like for additional flavor.

CREAMY POTATO & GREEN BEAN SALAD from COOKS.COM

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1/3 c. milk

1 tbsp. prepared mustard

1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp. pepper, or to taste

3 c., diced cooked potatoes (2 lg.)

2 c. cooked, fresh or drained canned cut green beans (8 oz.)

1 c. sliced celery

1/2 c. thinly sliced green onions

Romaine lettuce (optional)

For garnish: Roasted red pepper or pimento strips and/or pitted ripe black olives

In large bowl beat mayonnaise, milk, mustard, salt and pepper with a whisk or fork until blended. Add potatoes, green beans, celery and onions; fold gently until well coated with dressing. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Leave in bowl or line a serving platter with romaine lettuce and spoon salad in center. Garnish.

Cooking tips for chard If you've had enough for now, blanch some (boil 2 min. ice water 2 min. then squeeze out extra water) and freeze it for winter!

Raw, the stalks have a rather unpleasant earthy flavor, so we recommend the following preparation methods:

Remove the thin fibrous membrane; boil them in a "blanc" ( water to which some flour and lemon juice have added) or salted water; peel and remove all green parts.

Steam, boil, braise, sauté, etc.

Prepare like asparagus or celery; goes well with cream, garlic and pearl onions.

Add to a good vegetable soup.

Italian-style – serve with pasta and sun-dried tomatoes, oil or cream and Parmesan shavings.

____________________________________________________________

Hannah and Eric
06:30 AM EDT
 

CSA Contents Week of July 19, 2010

Carrots

Beets

New potatoes

Fresh garlic

Lettuce

Bok Choy

Swiss chard

Basil

some raspberries - not a great berry year.   :-(

Possibly a small amount of yellow and green beans (They're right on the edge of booming!)

If you want kale or extra herbs (oregano, dill, chives) please order by 9:00am at the latest the day before your share day. 868-5083 or maplewoodorganics@yahoo.com.

Hannah and Eric
04:10 PM EDT

2010 Week 5 Newsletter with Recipes

CSA Newsletter

Only four Winter Shares left!

Volume 6

Issue 5- Farm and High Street

July 15, 2010

Find us now on Facebook!

Week 5

We are happy to offer new potatoes, fresh garlic, summer savory, and raspberries this week! We hope you enjoy the new additions. We've also included a surprise crop...one that we didn't plant intentionally but reseeded itself - bok choy. It is small and the flea beetles have had the first taste. I put added some to my other greens last week to try it out. It was delicious and the stems add a nice different texture to the greens. Beans, carrots and beets are coming on strong and will be included in another week or two. I can't wait! We have some baby zucchini too. Our third planting of peas (but first successful one) is in bloom. We'll see how they do in the heat.

Preview Your Weekly Share Every Friday!

Every Friday you can go online to Maplewood Organics’ Local Harvest listing to view what will most likely be in your share the following week. Just go to

http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M13345 and view click on the box that says "Read Our Blog". This is where I’ll post CSA share contents. We hope that this helps you plan your weekend shopping and your meals for the week! Also visit the blog if you only pick up every other week so you don't miss out on any news or recipes.

Garden Progress and Farm News

This heat is amazing! The garden is really growing now. We needed the weekend rain so badly, and the garden sucked it right up - all 9/10 of an inch of it! My walk through the tomatoes indicates that it's time to tie them up. That'll be the big project this week. The first broccoli planted is getting quite large. There are no heads forming yet, but I expect there to be some soon. The kale is starting to get big too. We're going to leave it for a couple weeks and really let it grow. Then we'll start to offer it every week as a free extra choice. If you know you want this nutritious green, you can place a standing order with me, and I'll make sure I have it for you. Otherwise it'll just be mixed in the with other trades and extras.

The potato bugs are multiplying and can't really be hand-picked any more. I plan to use an organic-approved spray this week to try to keep them from burrowing into the soil to become another round of adults. I'd like to stop their cycle.

Some of our flowers are starting to bloom. I look forward to being able to offer you bouquets. The sunflowers that the kids planted with their Memere are HUGE and will start blooming very soon.

We've been really lucky to have two extra helpers this last week and this week. Justin, our former intern from the 2007 and 2008 seasons has come back for a two week work visit. It's been great for us all to have him here, not just working but visiting, playing with Maddy and Calvin, helping Eric and Richard (Eric's dad). We're going to miss him when he leaves at the end of the week.

We are also fortunate to have Robert's friend, Yanara, here with us. She has been a wonderful addition to the crew, jumping right in and taking initiative with every task. She also heads out for more travels at the end of this week.

?

Recipes of the Week

Black Bean Soup with Garlic and Summer Savory from http://oldfashionedliving.com

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup onion, finely chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup summer savory leaves

6 cups cooked black beans (if canned-drain well)

2 cups water

4 cups chicken stock

salt and paprika to taste

Heat the olive oil and sauté onions and jalapeno pepper for 3 minutes. Add garlic and half of the summer savory, sauté for another 3 minutes. Add 2 cups black beans and 2 cups water. sauté, mixing constantly, until all the water is absorbed by the beans, and the mixture is thick. Add the chicken stock and boil for 5 minutes. Strain the mixture through a sieve, pressing all the ingredients so they go through the sieve.. Return liquid to pot and add remaining 4 cups of beans, salt and paprika. Boil for another 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining fresh summer savory leaves. Serve with tortilla chips. Makes 6 servings.

Bok Choy Recipe tips

Add Bok choy to your stir fry

Combine bok choy with your other greens and steam

Chop up your bok choy and use it in your salad along with your lettuce

Add it to your own homemade bean dip. Just puree it right along with beans, garlic and oil, and salt to taste.

Swiss Chard from simplyrecipes.com

•1 large bunch of fresh Swiss chard

•1 small clove garlic, sliced

•2 Tbsp olive oil

•2 Tbsp water

•Pinch of dried crushed red pepper

•1 teaspoon butter

•Salt

1 Rinse out the Swiss chard leaves thoroughly. Remove the toughest third of the stalk, discard or save for another recipe (such as this Swiss chard ribs with cream and pasta). Roughly chop the leaves into inch-wide strips.

2 Heat a saucepan on a medium heat setting, add olive oil, a few small slices of garlic and the crushed red pepper. Sauté for about a minute. Add the chopped Swiss chard leaves. Cover. Check after about 5 minutes. If it looks dry, add a couple tablespoons of water. Flip the leaves over in the pan, so that what was on the bottom, is now on the top. Cover again. Check for doneness after another 5 minutes (remove a piece and taste it). Add salt to taste, and a small amount of butter. Remove the swiss chard to a serving dish.

____________________________________________________________

Hannah and Eric
04:05 PM EDT
 

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