Salamander Springs Farm/Permaculture Organics

Welcome Bread & Harvest CSA-ers!

We hope you’ll enjoy the farm’s gifts this week with Drew & Lindsey’s delectable baked goods.  Despite losses to a tough spring of weather extremes, we work with hope toward an abundant season!

Here's some notes about the goodies in your box!   We’d love your feedback on trying new local foods, and your recipes, too.  

See Mirra’s quick recipe on the back for chicken or egg salad using many of the below ingredients (including nettles).  A cold bean salad is also good!  Adapt it to your own tastes and needs.

 
>LUFFA SPONGES harvested & dried from last fall’s luffa gourd vines.  Luffa is used for a lot of cleaning tasks at the farm, including ourselves!  They soften when wet & dry easier than a washcloth.

>Spring is ALLIUM time!  By spring our storage onions have run out, so we use a lot of green onions (scallions) instead.  The great thing about this season is you get the tender green nutrition of the onion’s leaf stalk too.  In the bigger bunch are perennial Egyptian Walking and Potato onions, which are farther along in making a bulb in the spring, and perennial leeks (the one with all the baby leek bulbs around the main stalk) also earlier than our annual leeks--which is nice in KY where it usually gets too hot for leeks by the time they are ready.  

>Garlic scapes & greens are another spring treat; just chop and add to your dish the same as garlic--the flavor & health benefits of garlic without having to peel cloves--and with the nutrient-rich greens.

>GREEN GOLD HEALING SALVE - We depend on this frequently in our work!  A very effective external remedy for wounds, stings, bites, bruises, rashes, burns, chapped lips and other skin irritations, Comfrey is the most potent natural source of the phytochemical allantoin, used medically to increase cell growth and regeneration of damaged skin tissues.  Also known as Knitbone, and Bruisewort throughout the ages, its Latin name, Symphytum, is derived from the Greek sympho meaning “to unite.”  Calendula’s phytochemical and nutrient properties reduce inflammation and relieve skin rashes & irritations.  St, John’s Wort & Rosemary provide astringent and anti-bacterial properties to stimulate the immune system against infection and aid in healing.

>HAPPY HEN EGGS - Our pastured hens lay abundantly in the spring, so we want to share the wealth since we may not be able later on, we when have more people at the farm.

>SALAD GREENS & SNAP PEAS! to be enjoyed many ways--as a chef salad chopped up with eggs or chicken, with sunflower or pumpkin seeds, nuts, scallions & sprouts, “wilted” greens with other dishes, in sandwiches...or just as they are with a good dressing (ask us about some easy & healthy homemade salad dressings)!  Sweet snap peas are hard to resist whole & raw off the vine; or steamed or sliced for cooked dishes.

>Fresh HERBS for flavorful dishes--Basil, Parsley, Thyme, Oregano, Dill...

>After a hard day, FLOWERS on our table brighten the soul.  We hope they brighten yours, too!

>NETTLES! Urtica dioica, Stinging Nettles are flavorful dark greens, more nutrient dense than spinach or broccoli and unusually high in protein for a green plant.   Often called a “super food” they’re rich in antioxidants, minerals, calcium, magnesium & potassium, and vitamins A, C, D, E, & K.  They are especially rich in iron and are an excellent remedy for anemia and fatigue, along with many other ailments--see “WHY EAT NETTLES” on the back!
You can cook and use nettles in similarly as other greens, in a stir fry, soup, frittata, quiche or as a “pick-me-up” tea or cold drink.  Empty the bag CAREFULLY (avoid touching without gloves but fear not, the nettle’s hairlike stingers vanish after just a minute of heat) to steam or blanch, stir-fry, sauteé or make tea.  In early spring, the whole stem is tender, but later we eat only the leaves.
If you want to chop nettles finer, blanch them first--bring a large pot of water to a boil (adding a tablespoon of salt helps retain their deep green color) and stir nettles into water.  After a couple minutes, drain nettles through a colander to chop or puree. You can keep some of your blanched nettles in the fridge for your next meal.  Save the nutrient rich water for a soups, or other dishes.
For a nutrient-rich tea, don’t add the salt to water and let it steep longer.  Enjoy tea with honey.  Refrigerate for a refreshing and nourishing cold drink (keeps several days).  
Sauteéd nettle greens are quick and nutritious way to prepare them--just with butter and salt...or add chopped green onions or leeks, garlic (scapes), sunflower or pumpkin seeds, meat, potatoes, carrots, seasonings like cumin, chili, curry, pepper... Beat up some eggs and make it into a frittata...

WHY EAT NETTLES?
from Herbal Legacy (Dr. John R. Christopher):
“Nettles are among the most valuable herbal remedies and nutritive foods.  Traditionally used as a spring tonic, it gently cleanses the body of metabolic wastes and toxins and acts as a restorative remedy for a sluggish liver.  It is one of the safest treatments of chronic disorders that require long-term treatment.  It has a gentle, stimulating effect on the lymphatic system, enhancing the excretion of wastes through the kidneys... an excellent natural protection against neoplastic diseases (tumors), cardiovascular disorders, and immune deficiency.  Fresh leaves have been found to show anti-tumor activity in animal studies and strong anti-mutagenic activity.”

From The Green Pharmacy (Dr. James Duke):   
“A serving of several ounces of nettle leaves contains more boron than the USDA daily recommendations. Boron is a trace mineral essential for healthy bones...effective because it plays a role in helping bones retain calcium.  It also has a beneficial effect on the body’s endocrine (hormonal) system, which helps the body maintain healthy bones and joints.  Recent multi-clinical studies have shown nettles to be as effective as an anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs for arthritis pain relief.  Its diuretic action alkalizes and releases uric acid from the joints of gout patients eliminating pain.”
Nettles are helpful for bladder and urinary tract function.  Acting as a natural diuretic, a nettle infusion increases increases the secretion and flow of urine, invaluable in cases of fluid retention and bladder infections.  It is also anti-lithic and nephridic, breaking down kidneys stones and gravel in the bladder and reducing an enlarged prostate.  

From Natural Health/ Natural Medicine (Dr. Andrew Wiel):
Nettles provide a more effective allergy relief with none of the side effects of decongestants, antihistamines and allergy shots...drowsiness, dry sinuses, insomnia, high blood pressure; these drugs treat only the symptoms of allergies and tend to lose effectiveness over a period of time.  Nettles contain biologically active compounds that reduce inflammation and relieve allergies and hay fever.   They can be used on a regular basis with an impressive number of other health benefits.”
If you want to use nettles regularly for specific health benefits, let us know.  We can also copy more info, recipes and infusions on the blog page.  We also dry nettles for use all year long.
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MIRRA’s Quick CHICKEN SALAD or EGG SALAD or BEAN SALAD
(with chicken or black bean leftovers or boiled eggs
Chop up:  several green onions, some garlic greens or scapes, a leek (or lots of small leek bulblets), some chopped salad greens, snap peas & nettles (blanch them a minute before chopping so you don’t get stung!), a carrot and stalk of celery.  Add a bit of minced cilantro or parsley, fresh basil, thyme or dill (if you like).  Mix it all in a bowl with chicken or black bean leftovers or a few boiled, chopped eggs.
Whisk together 1/2 cup+ plain yogurt (instead of mayonnaise we use our homemade yogurt from local milk), a few Ts of your favorite local mustard (we recommend Sunflower Sundries, Maysville, KY!), a few Ts olive oil,  a few Ts of balsamic (or apple cider) vinegar, some salt and pepper and spices you like (curry, cumin, a bit of chili?)     
Mix everything together and let it sit in the fridge until eating time.  Enjoy with some Clementine’s Bakery bread!        

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-Happy Eating from the Salamander Springs Farm team!