Maplewood Organics

Winter

CSA Newsletter

Volume 2

Issue 1

October 22, 2009

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Week 1

Welcome to our second fall/winter CSA! Thank you so much for joining us in extending the local food eating season. This year we doubled our shares offered and still sold out and have a waiting list. Next year we’re going to maintain the number of shares but go even further and add two more pick-ups of mostly storage crops in January. We would love to be able to offer year-round produce to our members some day. We’re on our way! We’d love to hear your suggestions along the way.

Local Harvest website blog (

http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M13345): Go here and click on "Read Our Blog" to view our posts and past newsletters with recipes.

Garden Progress

Our late crops are doing well in the field. We are having trouble with voles eating our beets and Swiss chard roots. I’m looking into what to do about it. We have a number of barn cats that hunt around the gardens, but they obviously aren’t completely taking care of the problem.

We’ve been working bit by bit on clearing out the debris in the garden by the house. Last weekend, Eric, the farmer, spread manure in 2/3 of the big field and plowed it in. We’ll apply compost next and topsoil in the low areas.

This weekend, Brian and Eric will be harvesting 200 heads of green cabbage for use in our 2009 batch of sauerkraut. We plan to spend Monday and Tuesday processing the cabbage.

I just applied for and was given a grant to conduct on-farm research in season extension. I’ll be starting this project in November. This preliminary research will make our farm eligible for more in depth research projects with better funds in the future. I’ll keep you up to date on this year’s project and the results.

Bulk Beef Packages

We offer a variety of bulk beef packages, starting with our 12 pound sampler at $120 with a 10% savings right up to our 180-pound Family package at $1500 with a 15% savings and a few sizes in between. You can also have your beef custom cut by purchasing it from us by the hanging weight ($4.50 per pound). This means that you would work directly with the butcher of your choice to have the beef cut and packaged the way you want and pay the cutting and wrapping fee directly to the butcher.

We also sell our beef by the cut right at the farm. You may preorder from us any time, and we’ll make sure your meat is ready for you to take along with your vegetables right when you pick up your Winter CSA share. Just give a call or send an email to check availability! We hope you’ll try our beef. We don’t think you’ll switch back after you’ve had a taste of ours!

Box Contents

Beet greens, leeks, carrots, lettuce, kale, onions, acorn squash, cabbage, potatoes, Swiss chard, parsnips.

New Next Week

Butternut squash and sauerkraut.

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Recipes of the Week

K’s Potato Leek Soup (from pinchmysalt.com)

3 tablespoons butter
3 leeks, thinly sliced*
1 medium or large onion, chopped
6 – 8 russet potatoes, thinly sliced**
3 1/2 cups chicken broth (or enough to barely cover potatoes)
1 cup heavy cream
salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste

1) Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat then add onions and leeks. Cook, stirring, until onions are limp and just slightly brown.

2) Add sliced potatoes to saucepan then pour in enough chicken broth to just barely cover the potatoes. Continue cooking over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Using a potato masher, mash and stir potatoes until desired consistency is reached. As you mash the potatoes and the soup thickens, turn down heat and stir frequently with a large spoon to prevent scorching on the bottom.

3) Add one cup of heavy cream (or more if you desire) and salt and black pepper to taste. Cook 15 minutes more over low heat, stirring frequently, then remove from heat and serve.

Notes: *Make sure to

clean leeks thoroughly and slice only the white and light green part of the leeks. **You don’t need to peel the potatoes as the peels add to the rustic texture of the soup. But make sure to scrub them thoroughly and remove any obvious blemishes before slicing. Although we always make it with chicken broth, this can easily become a vegetarian soup by simply using vegetable broth instead.

Kale And Parsnips

www.justvegetablerecipes.com)

Cheesy Cabbage Casserole

•1/4 cup butter

•1 small white onion, chopped

•1 head cabbage, chopped

•3 tart apples, thinly sliced

•1/2 teaspoon salt

•1/2 teaspoon pepper

•1/4 cup milk

•1 1/2-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1.In a large deep skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add onion, cabbage, apples, salt and pepper and sautee for about10 minutes until crisp-tender.

2.Add milk and cheese and combine well. You maybe tempted to add more milk, BUT, there will be more moisture after it has baked.

3.Pour into at least a 2 quart casserole dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake additional 10-15 minutes.

1 c Onions, halved & sliced
1 c Parsnips, halved & sliced
1 tb Corn oil
1 c Water
2 tb Ginger, minced
1 qt Kale, veins removed & cut into bite-sized pieces

Saute the onions and parsnips in oil for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add the water and ginger. Cover and simer for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the kale and continue cooking 4 to 5 minutes longer. Stir occasionally but keep the saucepan covered otherwise. Serve hot.

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