CSA Members 2008: Newsletter Archive

Dear CSA Members,

The sunflowers today are a variety called Soraya. The first cutting are always the size of baseball bats, and nearly as tough! These are actually my favorite flower. Really.

This season's harvest is so abundant that we have decided to take on more members! If you know anyone who is interested in our CSA program, please spread the word. We would love to share all these vegetables with a few more families.

Speaking of which, if you are interested in bulk purchase of broccoli, beans (green, yellow, or roma flat), peas, cabbage, or any other vegetables, now is a great time to start! The weather is cool this week, so canning or blanching and freezing veggies will be relatively a pleasant chore.

We will have bulk quantities of basil, garlic, and all sorts of other veggies in the coming weeks, so please call to ask about any produce you would like, even if it's not on our list. (If you have a credit, this is a great way to use it!!)

An update and reminder about our Annual Open House and our not-so-annual Barn Stomp: We will have our Open House on Saturday, September 13, beginning at 12 noon. As always, we'll have snacks and live music, and a hayride or two. You'll have a chance to wander around the fields, see what's growing, and harvest a veggie or two. This will be followed by a fundraising dinner ($25 donation) for our barn renovation efforts. Try barbecue and hors d'oeuvres from local chefs, cheese from neighboring farms, and local beer. Enjoy live music, and camping if you'd like.

To be clear: our Open House is free as always, with snacks and music, from 12 noon until 4 pm. If you'd like to stay, have dinner, and donate to our barn renovation, we're selling tickets for the Barn Stomp-dinner and live music. Please contact us with any questions, or to buy dinner tickets!

The moving has begun to our new (old) house! It's a slow process, being that we're a little busy right now with the farm (the phrase runaway train comes to mind). But we take a few things whenever we think of it, and we'll be completely moved by September 1st. We're relatively close (about 4 miles away), but driving to the farm and back is getting expensive!

All right, enough chatter and on with the recipes!

Herbed Bean Salad

ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds tender green beans, stem ends snapped
• 1 1/2 pounds tender wax beans, stem ends snapped
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves

procedure

Steam beans until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Run under cold water briefly to stop the cooking process. Pat dry. Place in a large bowl.

Toss with the green onions and oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Just before serving, toss beans with the vinegar. Toss with the basil. Serve.

Adapted from Parade, June 2008, by Sheila Lukins

Broccoli Almondine

ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds broccoli, stems peeled, head cut into 2-inch-wide spears
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

procedure

Cook broccoli in a steamer rack over boiling water in a large wide pot, covered, until stems are just tender when pierced with a knife, 8 to 12 minutes. Remove steamer from pot and discard cooking water. Cool broccoli 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat butter in pot over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook almonds, stirring, until butter and nuts are golden and have a nutty aroma, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add broccoli and toss.

Gourmet, December 2007, Melissa Roberts

STIR-FRIED CABBAGE

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 2-pound green cabbage, quartered, cored, very thinly sliced
• 6 green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon oriental sesame oil

procedure

Heat vegetable oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add ginger and stir 30 seconds. Add half of cabbage and toss until wilted, about 4 minutes. Add remaining cabbage, green onions, and sesame oil. Toss until all cabbage is crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Bon Appétit, April 2002, Too Busy To Cook?