CSA Harvest #4~ Sunny with a side of snowpeas!

Happy Summer!! That's right! It seems like we might get a summer after all and the best part is yet to come with the juicy heirloom tomatoes, sweet melons, nutty squash, brilliantly colored peppers, and basil (well those are some of my favorites anyways!) Of course we are still a few weeks behind schedule with the summer crops since several of the things we planted from seed ended up rotting in the cold, wet ground that plagued our Spring. Luckily we should have enough cool weather things to carry us through until then...

We wanted to invite all of you out for our first ever farm tour!! We always have a farm potluck later in the season open to all CSA members.. but this year we wanted to have two events here at the farm so everyone has at least one chance to see where their weekly baskets come from and also a chance to meet others getting weekly baskets. We are scheduling the farm tour for July 17th with two tours one at 3pm and one at 5pm.. We wanted the farm tour to happen week after next but that would put us at 4th of July weekend with many folks taking trips. Don't worry we will remind you all in the next week or so about upcoming farm tour on Saturday July 17th.

We are still busy as ever irrigating, weeding and seeding until the days seem to blur together. We had ordered 4 tons of certified organic fertilizer called Nutri-Rich. It is manufactured in Canby and is made up of composted and pelleted chicken manure with micro nutrients added. To date this season we have gone through two tons of it! In the photos above you can see some of the prime river bottom land that we are fortunate enough to grow on. Behind our yellow lab you will notice some land that is fallow (or bare of any crops). We just planted this area with a cover crop of buckwheat which will be tilled back into the soil when it flowers to enrich the soil and get it ready for the fall crops. At this time of year we are already starting to plan out what crops we will be planting now to harvest in Oct and Nov when many of the summer crops get killed off by frost.

Hooray for strawberries!! The berries will make their debut this week in the full share baskets. Hopefully now that the warm weather is here we can get enough for half share members in the upcoming weeks. Our berries are coming on later because we just planted the bare root plants in March and the plants have needed time to get settled in. So hopefully this means that they will produce longer into summer and early fall!

Enjoy!! Suzie, Asinete, MA & Violet


Harvest This Week Includes:

Snow Peas (they are at their peak now!)

Broccoli (also at its peak!)

Romaine Lettuce (outer leaves can be removed to get to more tender and blanched heart)

Bok Choy (the last of it until fall)

Green Garlic

Beets

Romanesco Cauliflower

Strawberries (full shares only this week)

How to Cook it and Store it!

Beets

Beets are one of our favorites because of their earthy smell and taste. Now only that but they store for up to 3 months in the crisper of your fridge..bidding their time until you're ready! Don't toss the greens either! They are edible as well. Beets are high in Vitamin A and C and also carotenes. The beet greens are high in Vitamin C, iron and calcium.

To store beets and keep them firm remove greens about 1-2 inches above the beet. Store beets in a plastic bag and put in crisper drawer in fridge. Beet greens should be used asap as they will not keep well. For quick storage keep in plastic bag or damp towel in crisper.

Roasted Beets on a Bed of Beet Greens

Ingredients

* 1 bunch beets with
* greens
* 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 tablespoons chopped onion (optional)
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees C). Wash the beets thoroughly, leaving the skins on, and remove the greens. Rinse greens, removing any large stems, and set aside. Place the beets in a small baking dish or roasting pan, and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. If you wish to peel the beets, it is easier to do so once they have been roasted.
2. Cover, and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until a knife can slide easily through the largest beet.
3. When the roasted beets are almost done, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion, and cook for a minute. Tear the beet greens into 2 to 3 inch pieces, and add them to the skillet. Cook and stir until greens are wilted and tender. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the greens as is, and the roasted beets sliced with either red-wine vinegar, or butter and salt and pepper.

Nutritional Information open nutritional information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 204 | Total Fat: 13.9g | Cholesterol: 0mg

Roasted Beets with Feta

Ingredients (green garlic from your basket can be used in place of shallot)

* 4 beets, trimmed, leaving 1 inch of stems attached
* 1/4 cup minced shallot
* 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
* 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil, and place onto a baking sheet.
2. Bake beets in preheated oven until easily pierced with a fork, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Once done, remove from oven, and allow to cool until you can handle them. Peel beets, and cut into 1/4 inch slices.
3. While the beets are roasting, whisk together shallot, parsley, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and red wine vinegar in a bowl until blended; season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.
4. To assemble the dish, place the warm, sliced beets onto a serving dish, pour vinaigrette over the beets, and sprinkle with feta cheese before serving.


Beet Greens Recipe

While this recipe calls for discarding the stems, if you want you can use them too if they aren't too woody. Just cut them into 1-inch segments and add them to the onions after the onions have been cooking for a minute.
Ingredients

* 1 pound beet greens
* 1 strip of thick cut bacon, chopped (or a tablespoon of bacon fat)
* 1/4 cup chopped onion
* 1 large garlic clove, minced
* 3/4 cup of water
* 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 1/6 cup of cider vinegar

Method

1 Wash the greens in a sink filled with cold water. Drain greens and wash a second time. Drain greens and cut away any heavy stems. Cut leaves into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

2 In a large skillet or 3-qt saucepan, cook bacon until lightly browned on medium heat (or heat 1 Tbsp of bacon fat). Add onions, cook over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions soften and start to brown. Stir in garlic. Add water to the hot pan, stirring to loosen any particles from bottom of pan. Stir in sugar and red pepper. Bring mixture to a boil.

3 Add the beet greens, gently toss in the onion mixture so the greens are well coated. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5-15 minutes until the greens are tender. Stir in vinegar. (For kale or collard greens continue cooking additional 20 to 25 minutes or until desired tenderness.)

Serves 4.


Snow Pea Info!

We know that perhaps we got a little giddy when we planted the pea patch in early Feb! Savor them now for as soon as the heat gets here the peas will die off. Peas should be used immediately. Like corn the sugar in peas in converted to starch as soon as they are picked. If you do need to refrigerate keep in plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge. Your peas can be frozen for later use if you'd like to stretch them longer. To freeze them they must first be blanched in boiling water for 2 mins, then immediately cooled under cold water to stop cooking. Drain well and freeze in freezer zip locks or vacuum sealed bags.
Your snow peas are not only tasty but also so good for you! High in vitamins A,C, K and B's. They are also high in iron, potassium and phosphorous and also high in fiber!

Asian Salad

Ingredients

* 1 (16 ounce) package pasta
* 2 cups broccoli florets
* 1 red bell pepper, chopped
* 1/2 cup diced red onion
* 1 cup snow peas
* 1 cup Asian-style salad dressing
* salt to taste
* ground black pepper to taste
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root (optional)
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic (optional)
* 1 tablespoon sesame oil
* 1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds

Directions

1. Blanch broccoli in rapidly boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the water. Blanch snow peas for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from water.
2. Cook one pound of pasta in a large pan of boiling water until al dente. Drain, and transfer to a large bowl.
3. Toss pasta with salad dressing. Toss with broccoli, red pepper, red onion, and snow peas, ginger, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. When serving, sprinkle with sesame oil and sesame seeds.

Nutritional Information open nutritional information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 361 | Total Fat: 20.2g | Cholesterol: 41mg


Moo Goo Gai Pan (a great way to use your peas and bok choy together!)

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1/4 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
* 1/4 pound snow peas
* 1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
* 1/4 pound sliced bok choy
* salt and black pepper to taste
*
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
* 3/4 cup skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - thinly sliced
* 1 teaspoon white wine
* 1/4 teaspoon white sugar
* 1/4 cup chicken broth
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 2 tablespoons water

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, snow peas, water chestnuts, and bok choy; season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the wok and wipe the wok clean.
2. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in the wok. Stir in the garlic and ginger; cook a few seconds until the garlic begins to turn golden brown. Stir in the chicken and cook until the chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, sugar, and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and stir into the simmering sauce. Once the sauce returns to a simmer, stir until thick and clear, about 30 seconds. Return the vegetables to the wok and toss until hot and coated with the sauce.

Nutritional Information open nutritional information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 175 | Total Fat: 8.4g | Cholesterol: 26mg

Broccoli

Yes we got crazy planting the broccoli as well! This week will be the largest harvest of this early spring planted crop. When we sent out our surveys last year almost all of the CSA members responded that they would like to see more broccoli! At an organic farming conference we attended this winter we were saddened to hear that broccoli holds the title of the top two crops that you actually lose money on as a farmer! Why? Simply because they require a fairly long growing time and lots of fertilizer and the reward for your efforts? One large broccoli head if you're lucky! There will be small florets after this week for awhile. Any guess what the other big money loser crop is for a farmer? Tell us what you think at the pick up tomorrow~!

Broccoli is so good for you! When eaten fresh and not overcooked it is loaded with vitamin A,C, calcium, potassium, and iron. Broccoli has also been touted as an anti cancer vegetable due to a special enzyme called sulforaphane. Please use your broccoli promptly as all those nutrients will wilt with the broccoli. Store for a few days in a plastic bag in the crisper portion of fridge. Broccoli can also be blanched in boiling water for storage in freezer. Cut head into florets and slice stems. Blanch for 3-4 mins, rinse in cold water to stop cooking and freeze in freezer bags or vacuum seal.


Raw Broccoli Salad Recipe
(Serves 2)

3 cups of chopped broccoli
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 tbs of finely minced cilantro
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 tsp of sea salt

Method:

1. Wash and finely chop the broccoli, several florets at a time. Include 1 garlic clove in the chopping. Chop for another minute and then add the second clove. Keep chopping until the broccoli is in tiny pieces.
2. Place the broccoli into a large, non-reactive bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and then mix well with a metal spoon. Cover and let the broccoli sit in the fridge for one hour.
3. Serve with accompanying meal of chicken, seafood or on its own.

Broccoli Salad

5 cups shredded broccoli (shred with food processor)
1/2 - 1 cup red onion
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raisins

Add all to a bowl.

Dressing
1 cup raw cashews
3T raw agave nectar (or honey)
2T raw apple cider vinegar
1/4t sea salt
1/4 cup water

Blend the dressing in a *blender (you may want to soak the cashews in water for an hour just to soften them up if your blender is not high speed to make it easier to blend or you can try first in the food processor then the blender). Pour over the broccoli mix and mix well with your hands to really coat it. Enjoy!

Augustine's Favorite Roasted Broccoli

Cut broccoli into long florets, peel and cut stem into strips as well. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place broccoli florets on large cookie sheet and drizzle liberally with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt to taste. Toss broccoli so all evenly coated with oil and salt and place in over. Heat for 10 mins and then toss. Roast another 5 mins or until broccoli is tender and even a bit toasted! YUMMYYYY!!!

Off to bed to pick peas in the early dawn!

CSA Harvest #3

Good day Everyone Happy Summer Solstice (on the 21st) and hooray for three days in a row without rain! woah.. now wait a minute what is this about rain for the CSA harvest and delivery!? Guess we did not have to race to get the pump back in the river today after all!

Have most of you been reading about, looking at stories and images from the oil spill in the gulf? I have and we don't have tv or get the newspaper but we do have internet and NPR on the radio. It's overwhelming and tragic and we ask ourselves "how can I be less dependent of those fuels for my existence?" well guess what? Eating locally is one of the main ways you can do that. In a time when most of the food we eat travels an average of 1,300 miles away you can enjoy the fresh crunch of the snow peas and carrots and know they were grown less that 2o miles away. That is a big step that helps to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.

Many people and maybe most of you seek out organic foods for personal health reasons and that is great. As farmers the driving force for us in growing food using organic methods is for the health of the planet and second for our own personal health. Of course many of us are realizing that the health of both the planet and our bodies are interlinked. So thank you for the sake of your health and the health of the planet to eating locally and organically! Actually we are now certified naturally grown. Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) is a third party certification program. That means someone we did not know came and inspected our fields and reviewed our records and seeds to be sure we don't plant GMO seeds (genetically modified) or seeds that have been treated with chemicals. Also they cheked to be sure we were not using pesticides or herbicides and to see that we use only certified organic fertilizer. We had wanted to become certified organic as we were in Ca. but the cost is fairly prohibitive and we do not sell things wholesale. Since we only sell locally we can explain to folks about how we grow our crops and now we have the certified naturally grown to confirm our commitment to growing food healthy for people and the planet! You can check out more about what Certified Naturally Grown at their website and check out our farm profile there.

We are looking ahead for a future 3rd annual farm tour and potluck day for all CSA members. So stay tuned!

Thank you for eating locally!

Suzie, Asinete, MA & Violet

Harvest This Week Includes:

Carrots

Snow Peas

Hakurei Turnips

Grandpa's Admire Butterleaf Lettuce (Romaine in full shares) Romaine for all next week!

Broccoli

Bok Choy (aka: Pac Choi)


How to Store it and Eat it!

Bok Choy is a traditional stir fry vegetable from China. The Bok choy growing season is limited to the cooler months of spring and fall. Bok choy is often touted as the garden vegetable highest in calcium. Bok choy is an excellent source of vitamins A, B complex, and vitamin C.

Storage Tip: wrap bok choy in a damp towel or put in a plastic bag and place in the hydrator drawer in the 'fridge. Store for up to 1 week.


Stir Fry Bok Choy

Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:

* 4 bunches bok choy (basically, 1 bunch per person)
* 2 slices ginger
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
* 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
* 1/4 cup water
* A few drops sesame oil
* 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil for stir-frying

Preparation:
Wash the bok choy and drain. Separate the stalks and leaves. Cut the stalk diagonally and cut the leaves across.
Heat wok and add oil. When oil is ready, add ginger and stir-fry briefly, for about 30 seconds, until the ginger is aromatic. Add the bok choy, adding the stalks first, and then the leaves. Stir in the soy sauce, sugar, and salt, and stir-fry on high heat for 1 minute.
Add the water, cover the wok and simmer for about 2 minutes. Stir in the sesame oil and serve. Serves 4.

Bok Choy Salad

Ingredients

* 1 medium head bok choy, diced
* 1 bunch green onions, chopped
* 1 (3 ounce) package ramen noodles
* 1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds
* 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
* 1/3 cup olive oil
* 3 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions

1. Combine bok choy and green onions; cover and chill.
2. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and ramen noodle seasoning packet. Refrigerate until chilled.
3. Break ramen noodles into small pieces; combine with toasted almonds and sesame seeds.
4. Before serving, combine the cabbage mixture and noodle mixture; add dressing and toss to coat.

Snow Peas enjoy the weekly share of snow peas as they are a fleeting spring treat. Once summer arrives the vines will wither. They are strictly a spring treat. Snow peas are full of vitamins A & C.


Snow Peas with Pine Nuts and Mint

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 pound snow peas, rinsed, dried, tips of the ends cut off, strings removed
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon dark sesame oil
10 large mint leaves, chopped
Method

1 Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the snow peas, garlic, and pine nuts. Stir to coat with the oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring. You do not want to overcook the snow peas or they will get limp. They should still be a little bit crunchy.

2 Remove from heat. Stir in the sesame oil and chopped mint leaves. Serve immediately.

Serves 2-3.


Sorry all another late blog entry and I'm falling asleep as I type! For any other recipe ideas for your goodies please try allrecipes.com there are millions of recipes avail!

CSA Harvest #2

Happy Sunshine!! Well it was a sunny day today (Mon eve) as I write this newsletter.. it looks like the rain will have one last hoorah later this week. We will be happy to see it then since we have had to pull our irrigation pumps out of the river due all the rain. The problem now with the warm days is that our loamy soil is on the sandy side and does start to dry our very quickly leaving baby seedlings droopy and stressed for water. As soon as the river goes down we will need to put in the irrigation pump for the second time this year.

We are not the only ones lamenting the weather as many of you may have seen the story in the Sunday paper about other farmers in our area that have been struggling with muddy, flooded fields. But we see the light at the end of the tunnel in next week's weather forecast~ all sunny days!!

We wanted to add some images that show what is going on at the farm these days. You can see our new crop of fat little pink piglets.. we will have to change our name to Pig Lick Farm :) these little cuties are 7 weeks old and will live with us here on the farm until about Thanksgiving and then they will go to feed families. It is a bittersweet thing having animals on the farm. They bring so much life and joy and energy to the land that we work and live on. For us the driving force of raising our own meat is knowing that the animals we eat had a good life here on the farm with us.

In other pictures you will see our wonderful volunteers hard at work packing all of your CSA baskets in our garage/packing shed. Another image of Asinete prepping our wash tub for the veggie dunk. Yes, that is an old bathtub! It has been used for 20 years as a watering trough for a cow.. and then sat empty in our field for 5 years. Don't worry it has been bleached and scrubbed since those cow water trough days!

Right now we are busy on the farm trying to do many things at once; fertilize, weed, plant, harvest and plan what is going to go where 4 months down the line. Crop rotation and planning is a crucial point in CSA farming. Constant planning and planting to be sure there is always a full CSA basket each week. As soon as one crop is finished and harvested the planting bed is tilled, fertilized and tilled again then planted with the next crop. The best planting are the cover crops that we plant to feed the soil. Today we planted buckwheat seeds where the fall crops will be planted. The buckwheat will grow and flower and provide beneficial insects with nectar and habitat for all the baby tree frogs that we have seen hopping all over the fields. A week after the buckwheat flowers it will be tilled in and add nutrients to the soil... the best kind of fertilizer! It is our goal to one day leave this land in better shape then when we found it.. that is probably the driving force for many small, sustainable/organic farmers.

Enjoy these lingering days on spring!

Your farmers~

Suzie, Asinete, MA, Violet and Sally


Today's Harvest Includes:

Green garlic and garlic scapes (unopened garlic flowers)

Grandpa's Admire Heirloom Lettuce

Snow Peas

Green Broccoli OR Romanesco Cauliflower (yellow head)

Italian Flat Leaf Parsley

Mesclun Mix (arugula/tatsoi/mustard)

Rainbow Chard OR Collard Greens

You might be scratching your head looking in your basket and wondering what in the world a garlic scape is. The scape is the unopened flower from a garlic plant. When growing garlic it is a good practice to allow the garlic to produce a scape but it must be popped off before it opens or else the garlic bulbs will never form properly. My favorite way to enjoy scapes is to heat up olive oil and saute the scapes in a skillet until they are wilted and tender. They have a wonderful garlic taste without alot of heat. Here are more scape ideas...

Garlic Scape Ideas:

-You can add sliced scapes to any stir fry recipe.
-Slice and sprinkle over any pasta, or slice and cook them in almost any sauce recipe.
- Great in guacamole and fresh salsa, too.
- Chop & add to softened cream cheese.
-Add chopped fresh scapes when serving a light garlic soup; can also add them to buttered, french bread floated on the soup. -Use them as you would green onions, they're just better.
- Good in salads, on bruschetta, pizza.
- An excellent addition to stocks....and much Asian cuisine.
-Put in Thai chicken/basil/coconut soup.

Garlic Scape Tortilla

1 & 1/2 cups chopped garlic scapes
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup hot water
Salt & Pepper
4 large eggs
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Place garlic and scallions in a 10 inch skillet with 1 tsp. oil, 1/4 cup water and a pinch of salt. Cook covered over med. high heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well. Beat eggs with salt and pepper. Add remaining oil to skillet. When oil is hot, shake skillet to spread greens evenly, add eggs. Cover and cook over med. low heat until top is set [2-3 Minutes].

Mashed Potatoes with Garlic Scapes

2 1/2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" pieces.
2 Tablespoons butter (can omit this if on a restricted fat diet/lifestyle)
1-2 Tbsp, olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped scapes
1/4 cup hot milk (or more)

Cook potatoes until very tender. Drain and return to pot. Over medium high heat, melt butter with olive oil in a small skillet. Add scapes and saute about 5 minutes. Add to potatoes and mash. Gradually add milk while stirring. Season with salt and pepper.

Chicken With Garlic Scapes & Capers

2 whole skinless boneless chicken breasts, halved
2 Tbsp. Unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4 Tbsp. dry white wine
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
4 chopped garlic scapes
1 Tbsp. drained capers

Between sheets of plastic wrap slightly flatten chicken. In a large heavy skillet heat 1Tbsp. of butter and the oil over medium high heat. Saute until cooked through. Season with salt & pepper. Transfer chicken to a platter and keep warm. Pour off fat from skillet and add the remaining butter, the wine, lemon juice, scapes and bring mixture to a boil. Stir in capers and salt & pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over chicken. Serves 4.

Roasted Garlic Scapes
Take the scapes and put them in a lightly oiled roasting pan, top with salt (kosher or sea salt works best but any will do). Put the loaded and covered pan in a hot (425 °F) oven for 30 to 45 minutes or until they are beginning to turn brown. serve as a side or main dish. Tastes like roasted garlic but creamier.

Green Garlic
Green garlic is simply immature garlic and looks like a slightly overgrown scallion or green onion. They are pulled by growers when thinning crops and, increasingly, grown as a crop in their own right. To use, trim off root ends and any tough part of the green leaves. Chop or slice white, light green, and the first few inches of the dark green leaves (as long as they are tender). Use as you would green onions or garlic.

Penne with Ricotta and Green Garlic Sauce
Penne served with a sauce of green garlic, parsley, ricotta, butter and Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups fresh whole-milk ricotta
1/2 cup finely minced green garlic
2 tablespoons minced parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 pound dried penne or fusilli pasta
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus grated Parmesan for the table

Instructions
Combine the ricotta, green garlic and 1 tablespoon of the parsley in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Just before pasta is done, remove 1/2 cup of the boiling water. Whisk enough of the hot water into the ricotta to make a smooth, creamy sauce.

Drain the pasta and add to the sauce along with the butter. Toss well. Add 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and toss again, adding a little more of the hot water if needed to thin the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Serve on warm plates, topping each portion with some of the remaining parsley. Yummmm!!


Collard Greens~ full of flavor and nutrients! The leaves can be juiced (use 1/4 green juice to other things such as apple and carrots). Collards can be used much the same way that the rainbow chard is.. our favorite way is always the easiest!

Sauteed Collard Greens~ adapted from Epicurious


* 3 pound collard greens, leaves halved lengthwise and stems and center ribs discarded
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preparation

Stack several collard leaf halves and roll up tightly into a cigar shape. Cut crosswise into very thin slices (no wider than 1/8 inch). Roll and slice remaining leaves in same manner.

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté collards, tossing with tongs, just until bright green, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.


For more recipe ideas for anything in you basket you can check allrecipes.com or epicurious.. there are many recipes avail online.. I would add more but it is now past midnight and tomorrow is harvest day!! Rain or shine!

CSA Harvest #1 for 2010~ Robin's Harvest

Good day to all of you new and returning farm friends! It is with great pleasure that we introduce you to your first CSA share of 2010. For some of you this will be your 53rd delivery of produce if you have been with us since we started. That is a lot of cucumbers and pounds of heirloom tomatoes. We hope by now you have received our emails and phone calls about where to pick up your baskets and the steps that need to be taken to ensure you get your basket and not someone else (check the name on the tag on basket!) If you are sharing with someone it may be under their name...

We wanted to dedicate this first CSA share to the memory of Robin Miller. He and his wife Violet have volunteered with us every CSA day since we began two seasons ago. Robin passed away unexpectedly this winter and we miss his smile already. He was the star washer and packer of the baskets into the trucks for delivery. Without volunteer effort like Robin, his wife Violet and our other star volunteer M.A we would be very worse for the wear!

As many of you are aware the groans and complaints of the wet spring weather have also been echoed in our home.. it has been wet, muddy, cold and pretty miserable for many a week here. The wet weather makes it hard to work, till and get things planted and the slugs have flourished while the crops they've been helping themselves to (mainly the carrots) have been replanted twice now.
While the tomatoes, eggplants, squash, peppers and beans are all just sitting there our greens have been going berserk and this can be reflected in the first few CSA shares you will be receiving. Enjoy all these green leafy vitamin powerhouses now because when (IF) summer ever decides to come they will stop thriving and just bolt as soon as we plant them. So yes, greens are the king of spring!

The 2,000 seascape strawberries we planted in March are blooming and we are eagerly keeping a watchful eye on any ripening berries.. those can be a sweet treat to look forward to hopefully by next month! Also our raspberries we planted a month ago are leafing out and getting established in their mulch covered rows.

It seems strange that the CSA is just starting and yet our work season as farmers is nearly half over (since we started preparing planting for the CSA in the middle of January and will stop for a winter break in early Dec.. but we don't want to start thinking about winter yet since it doesn't seem to have left anyways! ;)
At this time of year every day is precious to be out planting before the summer solstice June 21st at which point the days start to get shorter and the plants don't receive as much sunlight. So in other words this is the busiest time of the year for a farmer!

We thank you for your support and many of you who we have never even met have paid the full amount up front for the CSA share.. that is a huge leap of faith and we sure hope we don't (or our veggies don't) disappoint.

Enjoy this first week's bounty with your family and maybe lucky friends too!

Salud!! (to your health!)

Suzie, Asinete, MA, Violet and Sally~


Harvest This Week Includes

Rainbow Chard

Flashy Trouts Back Lettuce (a beautiful French heirloom)

Hakurei Turnips (one of our favorite Spring treats!)

Tyee Spinach

Arugula/Tatsoi/Purple Mustard Mix

Red Oakleaf Lettuce

Snow Peas OR Broccoli (both crops just started producing.. soon enough of both for all!)

Please note that produce is field rinsed only... we give most everything a wash in cold water to keep fresh and remove most of the dirt.. however it would be best if you wash again before enjoying~

How to Store it, and Enjoy it!

Your lettuce will keep best if you remove all the leaves off of the head, wash gently in cold water, drain or spin dry and store wrapped up in a damp (not wet!) towel in your 'fridge. Romaine will keep longer than red oakleaf lettuce so try to use red lettuce first.

Try mixing your head lettuce with the arugula/tatsoi/purple mustard mix you got this week. Some people find the arugula and mustard overpowering by themselves but blended with the leaf lettuce greens in a salad they are just right. We also enjoy the greens stuffed into a sandwich! Another good treat is toasting up hazelnuts (filberts) in a cast iron skillet on the stove. Heat the nuts up and turn frequently to keep the nuts from burning.. you want toasted not burnt.. add the warm nuts to your salad.. also we get the dried cranberries in the bulk section of the grocery store and throw those in the salad too.. yummy!

Red-Leaf Lettuce and Celery Salad~ adapted from Epicurious.com
* 1 cup water
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
* 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, toasted
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
* 1/3 cup olive oil
* 1 head of red-leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
* 3 large (outer) celery ribs, very thinly sliced on a long diagonal (about 3 cups)
* 1 cup tender inner celery leaves, coarsely chopped

Simmer water and onion in a small saucepan, uncovered, until onion is softened and most of water is evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes. Purée in a blender with vinegar, caraway seeds, sugar, mustard, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. With motor running, add oil in a slow stream and blend until dressing is emulsified.
Combine lettuce, celery, and celery leaves in a large bowl and toss with just enough dressing to coat.

Mustard/Tatsoi/Arugula Stir Fry


Ingredients

* 1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 Tbsp olive oil
* 1 pound spicy greens, washed and torn into large pieces
* 2 to 3 Tbsp chicken broth or vegetable broth (vegetarian option)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon dark sesame oil

Method

1 In a large sauté pan, sauté onions in olive oil over medium heat until the onions begin to brown and caramelize, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook a minute more, until fragrant.

2 Add the mustard/arugula/tatsoi greens and broth and cook until the greens are just barely wilted. Toss with sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Rainbow Chard
Chard is one of our favorite crops to grow here at Big Lick. It is a cut-come again plant and it is possible to harvest off of one plant for over a year! Chard (like most all leafy greens is chock full of nutrients). They are high in vitamins A,E, and C and minerals such as iron and calcium. Interestingly the minerals in chard are more easily absorbed from chard then spinach. Chard contains no oxalic acid (an element present in spinach that tends to bind the minerals and render them unavailable during digestion.

It is best to store chard like you do your lettuce greens.. well rinsed/drained and wrapped in slightly damp towel in fridge.

Simple Chard Recipe

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 bunch Swiss chard, stalks discarded, leaves cut into wide ribbons
* 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
* salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil on a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and cook until tender and aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add the Swiss chard and balsamic vinegar; cook and stir until the chard is wilted and tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Susana's Frittata

This is one of my favorite ways to use chard and the eggs we get each day.

ingredients:

1 bunch chard
1 med yellow onion
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 pound potatoes
6-8 eggs
1/4 cup grated parmesan of cheddar cheese (optional)

Cut onion into thin slices and saute in large skillet with olive oil for 2 mins. Boil potatoes in separate pot until easily pierced with fork. Take out potatoes (peel if you want.. I don't since most vitamins in taters are right below the skin). Take those potato pieces and add to your semi sauted onions.. add more olive oil if you think necessary. I have some favorite dried herbs that I add along with salt and pepper. Once potatoes start to look lightly browned take your chard bunch and rip leaves off of the stem. Use the leaf pieces only and rip into bite sized pieces.. add to skillet and cook until chard wilts and turns bright green. While chard sautes take your 6-8 eggs and scramble together with the grated cheese. Pour the egg mix evenly over chard, potatoes and onions.. cover with lid and cook on med low until cooked all the way through.. if covered no need to flip it over! The chard is really yummy this way..


Spinach


Spinach should be rinsed again and patted dry with towel or spin dry. Store in plastic bag in 'fridge for up to a week.

Spinach is the most widely used dark green in this country. Spinach is high in chlorophyll, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C. Do to the naturally occurring oxalic acid in spinach the minerals (like calcium) are not easily assimilated by our bodies.

You can add your spinach to your salads, to the frittata recipe above or use one of our recipe ideas below.

Spinach Recipe

Ingredients

* 2 large bunches of spinach, about 1 lb
* Olive oil, extra virgin
* 3 cloves garlic, sliced
* Salt to taste

Method

1 Cut off the thick stems of the spinach and discard. Clean the spinach by filling up your sink with water and soaking the spinach to loosen any sand or dirt. Drain the spinach and then repeat soaking and draining. Put the spinach in a salad spinner to remove any excess moisture.

2 Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, until the garlic is just beginning to brown.


3 Add the spinach to the pan, packing it down a bit if you need to with your hand. Use a couple spatulas to lift the spinach and turn it over in the pan so that you coat more of it with the olive oil and garlic. Do this a couple of times. Cover the pan and cook for 1 minute. Uncover and turn the spinach over again. Cover the pan and cook for an additional minute.


4 After 2 minutes of covered cooking the spinach should be completely wilted. Remove from heat. Drain any excess moisture from the pan. Add a little more olive oil, sprinkle with salt to taste. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.


Jamie's Cranberry Spinach Salad (from allrecipes.com)
Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon butter
* 3/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered
* 1 pound spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
* 1 cup dried cranberries
* 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
* 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 2 teaspoons minced onion
* 1/4 teaspoon paprika
* 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
* 1/4 cup cider vinegar
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook and stir almonds in butter until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and let cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine the spinach with the toasted almonds and cranberries.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, onion, paprika, white wine vinegar, cider vinegar, and vegetable oil. Toss with spinach just before serving.

Hakurei Turnips~ there are turnips and then there are the white buttery gems that are the Hakurei! Who knew that a turnip could be a gourmet food but these white beauties are! They are best eaten right as they are.. perhaps a dash of salt before popping them into your mouth! Others like to add the sliced pieces to their favorite stir fry.. here are some recipe ideas for the turnips and their greens!! (just what you needed.. more greens!)

The Hakurei, or Tokyo, turnip is a Japanese variety that’s crisp, juicy, and delicious raw. They work wonderfully in salads or slaws, but cooking enhances their natural sweetness. They’re versatile enough to go with just about anything.

Daniel “Chino” Parilla’s Braised Hakurei Turnips
6 Hakurei turnips, tops removed
2 cups cold water
3/4 cup mirin
1/4 cup white soy sauce

Trim turnips and peel with a vegetable peeler. (1) Cut the turnips into sixths and (2) place them in a saucepan with the remaining ingredients. (3) Cover and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat; cook very slowly for about 15 minutes, or until just tender. Let cool to room temperature in the braising liquid, then drain and serve with steamed or roasted fish.


White Hakurei Turnip Gratin
Melt 1 Tablespoon butter in a non-stick 12 inch skillet (make sure you have a top to fit the pan.)

Wash one bunch of white hakurei turnips well, top and tail them, and slice them in 1/4 inch slices. Save the turnip greens for another recipe. You don’t need to peel the turnips. Layer the slices in the pan. Sprinkle the sliced turnips with 1 teaspoon dry thyme, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper, and 1/8- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper.

Cook for 3 minutes over medium heat, then pour 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup gluten-free chicken stock over the top. Cover and cook the turnips over medium heat for 20 minutes. The turnips will be completely cooked through, but there will be considerable liquid left in the pan. Remove the cover and cook to reduce the liquid. When most of the liquid has reduced (about 5-10 minutes), and the sauce is thickened, grate finely 1/2 cup of fresh parmesan cheese evenly over the top. Watch closely as the cheese melts and make sure that the liquid does not entirely cook away.

Serve the turnips hot. The recipe is supposed to serve 6,

Chile- Vinegar Turnip Greens

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 (1-pound) bag turnip greens, chopped
* 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
* 1/4 cup rice vinegar
* 2 teaspoons chile paste with garlic
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Heat oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat. Add garlic, and sauté for 30 seconds or until lightly browned. Add the greens, and sauté for 5 minutes or until wilted. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and cook 45 minutes.


There are many, many, many more recipe ideas on the internet to help you get through this weeks bounty. Try myrecipes.com and allrecipes.com and type in the vegetable you need recipe for. Most recipes are rated and that is helpful!

Don't forget to return your baskets for next week's delivery!

Next week's harvest may include the same as today but add green garlic, broccoli and or cauliflower.

April showers bring May showers~ (but not enough)

Happy May Everyone!! It is time to dust off the blog account and get it up and running again as we approach our first CSA harvest on June 2nd!! We have been busy, busy farmer's here at Big Lick and until yesterday we were getting anxious about the diminishing moisture levels in the soil (while we were also enjoying the sunny weather!) Finally we decided it was time to put the irrigation pipe out and get the pump in the river to irrigate. Our '48 farmall cub seems to shine as it hums quietly along the edges of the field. Asinete seems to shine too as he carried the pipes off of the trailer and got them set up in the field. Asinete loves irrigating! It is easy to love to watch the sprinklers come alive and throw rainbow arcs of moisture to the thirsty plants. The ground smelled so wonderful when we turned the sprinklers on.. cooling off the hard, dry ground. Even our early Luscious sweet corn (above) seemed to grow a few more inches by the time the sprinklers turned off! We have had to put the scarecrow out near the sprouting corn since it is a famous treat for crows and jays. So far the scarecrow seems to be working well.

We have put a lot of effort this season into perennial plantings as well with 2,000 seascape strawberries in the ground now and 180 raspberries (assorted variety). We know it will be a wonderful year for fresh strawberries for all! The raspberries will be a more delayed treat as they won't produce much until their second year. This year our 42 peach trees are now entering their second year and we counted 6 peaches from all 42 trees a few days ago. But give those trees a few more years and fresh, chemical free peaches will be part of your baskets each week as well.

With the rain we have had it makes our job of having to hand pull weeds much easier. It is time to sign off since tomorrows project involves hand weeding between our 4,000 onion starts that are starting to be swallowed by the creeping grass.


We are looking forward to a wonderful 2010 CSA season!! Thank you for being a part of it! Once the CSA is under way we will be posting weekly newsletters here with recipes and updates of what's growing and going on at your farm!

Big Lick Farm on Facebook

Hi farm friends! For those of you wondering why the winter has not inspired any posts here on the blog please find us on facebook. While the blog is great for posting CSA newsletters facebook seems more user friendly. We are gearing up for a great 2010 season! We'll see you on facebook (we're listed as Big Lick Farm!)

Suzie and Asinete :) Thank you to Melissa Rich of Myrtle Creek's Om Garden for the great graphic work from our farm sign!

Big Lick Seeking CSA Members for 2010!!

Happy New Year Everybody!! Hopefully you all made resolutions to eat a lot more healthy!! Let us help you fulfill that resolution by providing you with fresh, local, and sustainably grown crops!! First to call or email will be first on the list!!

Please call us (541) 863-2646 or email us portersuzanne@yahoo.com to reserve your spot!!

Your farmers~

Suzie and Asinete :)