Week 9 2011

Delivery 9: July 26th and July 29th

Today you will find in your box:

Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Summer Squash

Corn

Hot Peppers

Garlic Green Beans: Yellow Wax and Rattlesnake Pole

Sage

Parsley

Oregano

Basil: Thai and Genovese

News from the Farm

We continue to battle the pests with a wide variety of organic arsenal and brute labor. The plants are holding up nicely in the heat. We are running the irrigation daily, sometime twice a day. The hoes are getting a lot of use and the weeds are not happy.

Our little girl, Evaline, celebrated her 2^nd birthday this past weekend. She had a great time with her family!

We hope that you have a marvelous week!

UPCOMING EVENT

What? 2^nd Annual Pool Party Potluck

When? Friday, July 29^th

Time: 5:00

Where? CSA Members Kathy Simes and Joe Cheatwood’s House

Pick up your boxes (if you are in the Friday Group- Tuesday’s Group will be at Amy and Grant’s House), bring a dish to pass and take a dip. Kathy and Joe did this last year and it was a lot of fun!

week 8 2011

Week 8

July 19th and July 22nd

This week in the box:

Summer Squash: A mix of Costa Romanesca, Y-Star Patty Pan and Zuccinni

Garlic

Cucumbers

Tomatoes

Cabbage (just Tuesday this week- Friday got theirs last week)

Green Beans- Ratttlesnake Pole Beans, Yellow Wax Bush Bean, and Green Bush Beans

Peppers- some hot and some sweet

Thai Basil

Genovese Basil

Cilantro

Sage

Parsley

Oregano

News from the Farm

This week we went to Deerfield Supplies in Kentucky to pick up a few new items. We are very excited to be the proud owners of 3 new hoes: Misty, Julia and Dusty. We picked up some new hoses and some other little odds and ends for the irrigation system. Also, we purchased some Surround (Organically Certified) which is a Kaolin Clay product the creates a film of fine clay on the plants to discourage munching bugs. We are adding this to our arsenal of Pest Management- they are brutal.

Adam and Nick scored some fantastic Donkey Manure that was added to the Fall fields and side dressed the Tomatoes and Tomatillos. The ole blue Dump Truck is pulling its' weight.

The heat is bringing on all kinds of veggies! We hope that you all are faring the heat as well.

Have a great week!

Recipes

Pan Seared Summer Squash with Basil and Lemon Vingarette

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/1392

Summer squash ribbons with oregano, basil, and lemon

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/summer-squash-ribbons-with-oregano-basil-lemon-10000001816364/

Delivery 7

WEEK 7
July 12, 2011 and July 15, 2011

This week you will find in your boxes:

Potatoes
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Onions
Garlic
Hot Peppers
Purslane
Basil
Cilantro
Oregano


Hope all is well and you are enjoying the heat! Now, this is more like Southern Illinois in July. Have a great week.

All about Purslane

History:
Think of it as a weed, and you'll be missing out on one of the most nutritious greens on the planet. Purslane has more beta-carotene than spinach*, as well as high levels of magnesium and potassium. Historically it has been used as a remedy for arthritis and inflammation by European cultures. Chinese herbalists found similar benefits, using it in respiratory and circulatory function. Recently, it's been found that purslane has alpha linolenic acid, a type of omega-3 fatty acid. Researchers see evidence that these substances lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well as make the blood less likely to form clots. And, purslane has only 15 calories per 100 g portion.

World wide there are approximately 19 genera and approximately 500 species of purslane. The U.S. is home to 9 genera alone. It is most commonly found in the warm temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Purslane exhibits the most species diversity in Western North America and South Africa, where it is likely to have originated. Part of the reason for its evolutionary success is that a single plant can produce up to 52,300 seeds. What's more, purslane seeds can survive for up to 30 years in undisturbed soil. Several ancient cultures have included purslane as a part of their cuisine, including those of Greece and Central America. Russians dry and can it for the winter. In Mexico it is called verdolaga and is a favorite comfort food. There, it is eaten in omelets, as a side dish, rolled in tortillas, or dropped by handfuls into soups and stews.

* Thomas M. Zennie and C. Dwayne Ogzewalla (1977) Ascorbic Acid and Vitamin A Content of Edible Wild Plants of Ohio and Kentucky Journal Economic Botany 31:76-79.

Storage:
Best if used fresh. But, if you must store it, wrap purslane in a moist paper towel and store in a plastic bag in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator.

Preparation:
Wash. Remove larger stems. Some recipes use leaves only. Purslane can be substituted for spinach or wild greens in lasagnas, filled pastas, and Greek-style tarts.

Recipes

Cucumber-purslane-yogurt salad

• 3 large Cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into quarter-round slices
  
  
• 1/4 pound Purslane, large stems removed, washed and drained well
  
  
• 2 tablespoons each, Fresh chopped mint, cilantro and chervil
  
  
• 3 cups Whole milk yogurt
  
  
• 1/4 cup Virgin olive oil
  
  
• 3 cloves Garlic, puréed with the blade of a knife
  
  
• 2 teaspoon ground Coriander
  
  
• kosher Salt and ground Black Pepper
  



• Place the cucumber, purslane and herbs into a large bowl. In another bowl, stir together the yogurt, olive oil and garlic, coriander and season to taste with salt. Add the yogurt mixture to the vegetables and mix well. Add a pinch of ground black pepper. Taste the dressed cucumber-purslane salad for seasoning, adding a little more
  

Potato Purslane Salad

Here's one fine way to use purslane: in a potato salad. Don't use all the salad dressing at first--pour a little on and see how much you'll need. Any that's left over will be good on pasta or tossed salad.

6 small to medium redskin potatoes, scrubbed and unpeeled
2 cups washed purslane leaves
2 Onions sliced thin

Dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil
2 T. lemon juice (or more, to taste)
2 T. red wine vinegar (or more,to taste)
garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. dry tarragon
1/2 to 1 tsp. salt, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cook the potatoes with their skins on until just tender. Drain and plunge into cold water. Let cool. Peel and cut into slices, chunks, or dice, as you prefer.

Chop purslane coarsely. Add purslane and onions to potatoes.

Mix dressing ingredients until emulsified (I like to shake them in a jar). Pour over salad until it looks and tastes right. Chill. If the salad sits around in the fridge for a while before serving, you may need to add a little more dressing just at serving time so it's moist enough.

delivery 6

Delivery 6: July
5th and July 8th

Today you will find a box full of new veggies!

Carrots: YaYa

Garlic

Bulb Onions

New Potatoes

Green Onions
Shiitake Mushrooms

Hot Pepper

Tomato (just one)

Cilantro

Coriander (seeds)

Sage

Parsley

Oregano

Basil: Thai and Genovese

News from the Farm

We hope that everyone had a wonderful 4^th of July
weekend!

We are very excited about the Shiitake Mushroom logs and the
harvest. The picture of them gives you
an idea of how they are grown. Basically, we inoculated the logs with Shiitake spores, sealed the holes
with wax, and let them sit for a few months. Last week, we submerged them in a tank of water for about 30 hours. We have been watering them several times a
day and they are fruiting beautifully. We hope you enjoy!

I’m sure most of you have been enjoying these cool days, but
the veggies like it hot, hot, hot. The
tomatoes, beans and cukes are full of blossoms, but are taking their sweet time
in this cool weather. We did have to
irrigate last night and this morning, so I guess it is heating up.

We are missing some of the “extra” boxes; please return them
if you have one- thanks.

Have a marvelous week!

UPCOMING EVENT

What? Pool Party Potluck

When? Friday, July 29^th

Time: 5:00

Where? CSA Members
Kathy Simes and Joe Cheatwood’s House

Pick up your boxes (if you are in the Friday Group-
Tuesday’s Group will be at Amy and Grant’s House), bring a dish to pass and
take a dip. Kathy and Joe did this last year and it was a lot of fun!

More details will arrive via your email

Some pictures

WEEK 5 2011

Delivery 5: June 21st and June 24th

Today you will find a box full of new veggies!

Carrots: Atomic Red and YaYa
Beets Detroit Dark Red and Chioggia
Fresh Garlic
Sylvetta Arugula (Wild)
Bulb Onions and Greens (they are edible)
Kohlrabi
New Potatoes
Green Onions
Cilantro
Dill
Oregano
Basil


Note about the Garlic: It is still not cured.

FYI: If you have not finished your garlic scapes; they will keep in the fridge for a very long time. We still have a bag of them and put them in everything. I have been sick this weekend and made the most delicious soup.

Garlic Scape Comfort Soup
1 cup Orzo cooked normally, but keep extra water in pot
Once Orzo is cooked:
Add 3 garlic scapes cut into bite size pieces
3 cloves of garlic smashed
1 chopped green onion
2 chopped carrots
1 tsp. Bragg’s Amino Acids
1 tsp tamari (or soy sauce)
Finely chopped sprig of dill
A dash of cayenne

Eat in a mug with an ice cold cup of Ginger Ale. It made me feel much better

Note: The Coop has organic orzo in the bulk section. Bringing your jar is a great way to reuse something that would otherwise end up in our landfills. Just ask one of the cashiers to give you a tare (or weight) of your jar before filling it.

DATE CHANGED! (I HOPE THAT YOU CAN MAKE IT)
Work Day and Potluck
Sunday, June 26th
Come out to the farm and get your hands DIRTY!
We will work from 1:00 to 3:00.
A late lunch Potluck will start at 3:00
If you play an instrument bring it for a fun pick n’ grin

Grab your gloves, a friend and a dish to pass for a day on the farm.

News from Clear Creek Farm

This week we have had a lot of rain- 2 3/4 inches; which makes for rather lazy days on the farm. Nick and Adam have been passing the time pulling some very large fish out of the pond. Evaline has been helping out by hunting for worms. She takes great pride in finding the BIG worms! Luckily, she lives on an organic farm and there are BIG worms a plenty.

The garlic is all hung and curing in the tool shed. There are some outstanding looking bulbs. I’m sure that you are enjoying fresh garlic as much as us. Special thanks to those of you that helped plant it last Fall!

We invested in an industrial size salad spinner and hope that will improve the quality and longevity of the vegetables. For those of you that unfamiliar with a salad spinner; it is a centrifuge that removes all the water from the vegetables decreasing premature crop spoilage. You can purchase a home size version for around 30 dollars. I think it is a great addition to any kitchen.

On a more personal note, Delia’s Fruit Orchard produced one peach this year. It was juicy and delicious; we all shared it. The trees look good and the orchard has a very comforting feeling. Thank you for helping us to create a beautiful memorial to our sweet Delia.

Week 4 2011

Delivery 4: June 14th and June 17th
Today you will find a box full of new veggies!

Carrots: Atomic Red and YaYa
Beets Detroit Dark Red and Chioggia Bullseye
Fresh Garlic
Kohlrabi
Sylvetta Arugula (Wild)
Green Onions
Sage
Dill
Oregano
Basil: Thai and Genevose


Note about the Garlic: It was dug up yesterday; therefore the peels are not cured. They are thick and green, but peel as normal.


Work Day and Potluck
Saturday, June 25th
Come out to the farm and get your hands DIRTY!
We will work from 1:00 to 3:00.
A late lunch Potluck will start at 3:00
If you play an instrument bring it for a fun pick n’ grin
Grab your gloves, a friend and a dish to pass for a day on the farm.

News from Clear Creek Farm

Wow! The fields look the best they ever have at this time of year. Thanks to improved cultivation methods we have narrower spacing resulting in more efficient use of the land. The crops are bountiful and healthy. There are green tomatoes the size of golf balls or an egg for the non-golfers. The peppers are blooming. The vegetable future of the CSA looks bright; put on your shades.
This year we invested in row covers to try to prevent infestation of flea beetles, cucumber beetles and squash bugs. We are, also, implementing IPM (integrated pest management) across the farm. Here in Beautiful Southern Illinois we have a diverse bug population to combat- wish us luck!

Have a fabulous week!


Recipes
modified from http://allrecipes.com



Roasted Beets
Ingredients

1 pound medium fresh beets, peeled
4 teaspoons coconut oil (or your favorite)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1-2 garlic scapes chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped

Directions

1. Cut each beet into six wedges; place in a large resealable plastic bag. Add olive oil and salt; seal and shake to coat.
2. Place a piece of heavy-duty foil (about 12 in. long) in a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Arrange beets on foil and top with garlic and scapes. Fold foil around beet mixture and seal tightly. Bake at 400 degrees F for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until beets are tender.



Creamy Kohlrabi

Ingredients

4 kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and cubed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons white pepper
1/2 bunch fresh dil, chopped

Directions

1. Place the kohlrabi and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a saucepan. Cover with water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until kohlrabi can be pierced with a fork, but remains firm, about 5 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking water. Place kohlrabi in a bowl, and cover.

2. Place the butter into the same saucepan, and melt over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, and stir until the mixture becomes paste-like and golden brown. Gradually whisk the milk and reserved cooking water from the kohlrabi into the flour mixture, stirring until thick and smooth. Stir in the cream, 1 teaspoon salt, nutmeg, white pepper, and dill until well blended. Continue whisking until sauce thickens, then cook 10 minutes more. Stir in the kohlrabi, tossing to coat evenly with sauce.