Spoutwood Farm CSA Harvest Guide: Week 6: July 17, 2008
To return to the 2008 Harvest Guide page, click here
Greetings, Spoutwood Farm friends!
Welcome to the sixth week of the 2008 Community Supported Agriculture season, here at Spoutwood Farm! We are proud to present another bumper harvest of “vegetables so fresh, they almost dance” from our well-tended gardens. As always, we are grateful for the excellent work of our apprentices, Dana Hunting, Derek McGeehan, and Zach Trimble, as well as the working and regular shareholders who have helped them. If you have not yet begun to work your hours – working shareholders in particular – please contact Dana at (717) 235-9272, or at our CSA e-mail address, spoutwood_csa@yahoo.com. She will be glad to help work you into the schedule.
By most reckonings, it has been “High Summer” since the Solstice, a condition which will persist for the next two weeks or so (until Lammas). However, our vegetables are only now catching up or catching on! This week, we see the first of the classic Summer vegetables, with the presence of both summer squash and green peppers in the shares. Beets, carrots, and green onions represent the root crops, while Swiss chard, collard greens, and lettuce fill out the leafy greens for which Spoutwood is so well known.
As summer wears on, we continue face the challenge of both bugs and weeds. Endangering our kale, and potentially other “cole” crops, are colorful but lethal (to greens) harlequin bugs. Our apprentices are researching counter-measures. Mexican bean beetles and cabbage loopers also remain a threat. To combat weeds, hand weeding and mulching is the natural solution. We’re deeply grateful for those wonderful share¬holders who’ve come out help us with these necessary tasks. However, the weeds have not given up the fight! If you’d like to join our “Weed Warriors,” please contact us at our e-mail address. We check this address regularly, so don’t hesitate to be in touch.
Please feel free to drop us a line if you discover a new recipe, have any cooking tips, or would like to share your favorite way to eat the veggies from our harvest - email us and we’ll share with everyone else! Again, that address is: spoutwood_csa@yahoo.com. As the old commercial used to say, “please make a note of it.” Thanks!
Lettuce: Choose from a variety of different lettuces to delight your taste-buds! Lettuce will require some sorting and washing, although we’ve made an effort to remove the most blatant weeds and clumps of compost-rich Spoutwood soil. Excellent for salads, sandwiches, and more.
Green Onions: Enjoy our robust green onions raw with (or without) a little salt, or slice them up and add them to salads, soups, omelets, quiche, or anything you like. Don’t forget the flavorful and colorful green tops!
Broccoli: Everyone knows broccoli, a kitchen and salad-bar staple. If you’re like me (Tom), you like it lightly steamed or raw, rather than cooked to death as in my childhood and in many restaurants. Try with grated cheese, or a squeeze of lemon. Everyone gets a sample: small head or side shoots.
Beets: Also known as “beetroot” (especially in the U.K.), both parts of this luscious, nutritious plant are edible: the roots and the leaves as well. Try parboiling the root to al dente, then sautéing with the greens in butter or olive oil! Today most people will receive Golden beats, although there are a few red as well.
Carrots: A moment some of us have been waiting for since last season: the arrival of these sweet, crisp, orange roots, so delicious in salads, stir fries, soups, and pot roasts. Excellent source of beta carotene!
Green Peppers: One of the classic Summer vegetables, green peppers find their way into all sorts of salads, stir fries, soups, casseroles, and many other dishes. Also great for stuffing!
Collards (or Collard Greens): A classical Southern treat crosses the boarder this week to tantalize your taste buds with the flavor of Old Dixie. Cook up a mess o’ greens and enjoy with cornbread for a “South of the Mason-Dixon Line” treat.
Assortment by drop-off location: Smaller numbers of some items this week have resulted in some of you getting vegetables others will not, at least not this week. As the season goes on, it’ll all even out!
• Cabbage: A humble yet nutritious vegetable like turnips, and a brassica like broccoli, cabbage also keeps nicely and can be used in many different ways. Don’t overcook!
• Broccoli: A particular favorite of mine [Tom], broccoli is a chlorophyll-rich brassica which is delicious raw in salads, lightly steamed, or stir-fried. Again, don’t overcook! Many of us have bad memories of mushy broccoli… a travesty indeed, for such a lovely veggie treat.
• Burgundy Beans: The next installment of what we hope will be a bounty of beans! This attractive purple variety loses its burgundy color when cooked, becoming dark green instead.
• Cucumbers: Another classic summer vegetable, cucumbers are lovely in salads, fresh or marinated; and of course pickled. Note: most of these are yellow cucumbers!
Basil: Spoutwood produces basil in quantity, and this year is no exception. A delicious and fragrant herb – add to pasta sauces, make a fresh tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad (toss in olive oil), or blend your own pesto. Please note: Basil should be placed in a vase with water, as you would cut flowers. Most refrigerators are too cold and tend to blacken the leaves.
Holy Basil: This is the flowered herb that doesn’t look much like the standard basil we’re all used to! Not the “pesto” type, Holy Basil is used in Thai and some other cuisines, brewed into tea, or may simply be enjoyed for its unique and lovely scent. Please note that both types are bagged together this week!
Flowers: Our bouquet this week features two herbs – licorice basil, culinary sage (we won’t mind if you switch out the sage and holy basil!) – along with marigold, zinnia, or phlox for color, and a natural¬ized wildling, brought from England by early colonists: Queen Anne’s Lace.
Bread: For those who purchased bread shares, today’s selection from Atwaters is a classic French baguette. Equally flavorful spread with fresh farm butter or dipped in extra-virgin olive oil. The perfect side to your salad of fresh Spoutwood greens, spring onions, and cucumbers!
Golden Beet and Pomegranate Salad Recipe
Ingredients
3 golden beets (can use regular red beets if you want, just not as pretty)
1 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons Triple Sec or other orange-flavored liqueur
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 cup pomegranate seeds
Salt
2 cups arugula and butter lettuce leaves
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Method
1 Cook the beets - either boil them for 45 minutes or roast them at 375°F for an hour. Let cool. Peel and dice into 1/2 inch cubes.
2 In a 10 to 12-inch nonstick frying pan over high heat, boil beets, onion, vinegar, broth, liqueur, sugar, and orange peel, stirring often, until liquid is reduced to 2 tablespoons, 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, or chill airtight up to 1 day.
3 Stir pomegranate seeds into the beet mixture and salt to taste. Serve on top of salad greens on individual plates. Sprinkle with feta cheese.
Serves 4.
Roasted Organic Golden and Red Beet Salad with Fresh Herb Goat Cheese
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds large (at least 3 in diameter) golden and red beets, washed and trimmed 1 cup rice wine vinegar 1 cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 recipe herbed Goat Cheese (see recipe), cut into eight round slices 1 to 1 ½ cups mixed organic baby lettuces, washed and dried 1/4 cup Organic Blood Orange Almond Vinaigrette (see recipe) Fresh Organic Basil Oil (see recipe) Balsamic Glaze (see recipe)
Method:
To Roast Beets:
preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place the beets in a small roasting pan and pour in enough cold water to reach about one quarter of the way up the sides of the beets. Roast the golden beets separate from the red beets in a separate pan so the colors do not bleed together. Cover the pan with foil, and roast the beets until they are tender, 2 hours - 2 hours and 15 minutes depending on their size. To check for doneness, gently insert a toothpick into a beet. The skewer should slide through easily. Remove the beets from the pan, cool and peel.
Cut each beet into 1/4-inch-thick round slices. Cut each slice with a 2-3-inch round cookie cutter. (You will need ten rounds.) Cut trimmings into 1/4-inch dice and reserve 1/2 cup for garnish.
In a sauté pan, bring ½ cup of vinegar and ½ cup sugar to a boil. Stir to combine and sugar is dissolved. Lower heat to a simmer and poach beets one minute per side. Poach the golden beets first separately from the red beets to prevent the beets bleeding onto one another. With a slotted spatula, remove and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Repeat with the red beats.
Note: You can prepare this dish up to this point a day ahead.
When ready to assemble, heat the olive oil in a small sauté pan. Arrange the slices of herbed Goat Cheese in the pan and warm slightly, turning them with a small spatula just to warm both sides. This has to be done quickly or the cheese will melt.
To Assemble Beet Stacks:
Starting with a red beet round, place one round on a firm, flat surface and begin to layer. Top with a slice of goat cheese, then a golden beet round, a second slice of cheese, another red beet round, a third slice of cheese and a beet round. (Continue until you have five layers of beets and four layers of cheese.) Depending on the size of the beets you purchased from the market, you can either leave the rounds whole or cut them in half, placing them on their back when plated so you can see the gorgeous alternating colors between the cheese. Repeat with the remaining beets and cheese.
To Serve:
If you have white plates to serve this dish on, use them as it looks spectacular. Drizzle plates with Fresh Organic Basil Oil and Balsamic Glaze. Arrange the stacks of beets in the center of each plate with drizzled oil and glaze. Toss the baby lettuces with the Organic Blood Orange Almond Vinaigrette and mound half of the lettuces in the middle and in between the stacks of beats. Sprinkle reserved diced beets on top of greens. Serve immediately.
Chef's Tip: This is truly an impressive dish and fairly easy to do if prepared ahead. I have served this dish to people who do not like beets and they love it. My advice, don't tell your friends what they are eating until they have taken a bite. As always, use as many organic ingredients you can find for optimum flavor.
RAW BEET SALAD WITH APPLES AND RAISINS
To those who don’t even like the thought of cooked beets, eating raw beets may sound like punishment. But this salad may change your mind forever about beets, raw or cooked. Try it with cold, leftover roasted or grilled meats.
1/4 cup low or non-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Small bunch beets, about 3/4 pound, trimmed and peeled
1 sweet and crisp apple such as a Fuji
2 tablespoons sultana raisins
1 tablespoon toasted hazelnuts, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped chives
Salt and pepper to taste
A handful of watercress
1) In a small bowl, mix sour cream, mustard and vinegar. Set aside.
2) Grate beets by hand using the second-largest hole on a 4-sided grater or using the grating attachment on a food processor. Put in a mixing bowl.
3) Core apple but do not peel. Cut into 1/2-inch cubes and add to beets. Add raisins, hazelnuts and chives. Season with salt and pepper. Add sour cream dressing and mix well. Taste for seasoning.
4) To serve, put watercress at the end of a small oval platter and spoon out salad onto the platter.
Serves 4.
Sam’s Cooking Tip: To remove hazelnut skins which can be bitter, put the toasted nuts in a tea towel and rub them together. The skins will slip off.
BEET AND BEET GREENS GRATIN
2 small bunches of beets with greens, about 3 pounds total
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1-1/2 cups skim milk
3 large cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Butter flavored spray (or, preferably, real butter!)
1/2 cup flavored bread crumbs
1) Separate greens from beets, leaving about 1 inch of stems on the top of the beets. Steam as described in the Preparation section above. Save the cooking pot with the water. Cool and peel off skins
2) Meanwhile, trim stalks from greens unless they are very tender. Stack greens and roll like a fat cigar. Cut crosswise into 1/2-inch wide ribbons. Wash thoroughly and drain. Add to the same pot that steamed the beets - with more water if needed - and steam over moderate heat just until wilted, about 7 minutes.
3) While greens steam, heat butter in a medium-size saucepan until it foams. Add flour and stir over moderate heat until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add milk, stirring constantly until the sauce comes to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, add garlic, salt and pepper and stir as it thickens to the consistency of a light cream sauce. Turn off heat.
4) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut beets into 1/2 inch cubes and add to saucepan with cream sauce. Squeeze out any excess moisture from the beet greens and add to the cream sauce, combining well. Season with more salt and pepper. Pour into a 2-quart gratin dish that has been sprayed with butter-flavored spray (or rubbed with butter).
5) Sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake 25 minutes or until top browns nicely and cream sauce bubbles up.
Serves 8.
HOT BEET BORSCHT
Borscht is an old-world favorite. It can be served hot or cold. Since we've officially entered the winter season with its crisp temperatures [sic], we prefer the borscht nice and hot. However, this is an equally refreshing cold soup for summer.
4 large beets with tops
1 medium onion, thinly sliced, slices quartered
1 t. salt 2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lemon, rinds reserved
3 quarts (3 liters) water
1 lb.(453 gr) unpeeled potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
1 T. light vinegar (rice, apple cider)
Salt to taste
Date sugar, dehydrated maple sugar or maple syrup to taste, starting with 1 or 2 t.
Lemon juice to taste
1. Cut off beet greens. Wash, chop, and set aside. Peel beets, coarsely shred in food processor or with hand grater, and put them into a stock pot.
2. Add onion, salt, garlic, lemon, and water to stock pot including reserved lemon rinds. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn heat down to medium, and simmer gently for about 20 - 25 minutes.
3. Add potatoes and vinegar to stock pot along with reserved beet greens. Cook 8 -10 minutes on medium-high heat or until potatoes are soft.
4. Adjust seasonings with salt, date sugar, and lemon juice. Borscht should have a sweet and sour flavor. Since everyone's palate is just a little different, it may take a some playing with the salt, date sugar, and lemon juice to reach that perfect balance of flavor. Your palate will be your guide.
Serves 6 - 8.
Tom adds:
PICKLED BEETS (lacto-fermented version, for optimal health)
12 medium beets
seeds from 2 cardamom pods (optional) [I used pickling spices… T.]
1 tablespoon sea salt
4 tablespoons whey* (if not available, use an additional 1 tablespoon sea salt)
[I used almost a quarter-cup... T.]
1 cup filtered water
Prick beets in several places, place on a cookie sheet and back at 300º for about 3 hours, or until soft. Peel and cut into a 1⁄4-inch julienne. (Do not grate or cut beets with a food processor—this releases too much juice and the fermentation process will proceed too quickly, so that it favors formation of alcohol rather than lactic-acid.) Place beets in a quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar and press down lightly with a wooden pounder or meat hammer. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over beets, adding more water if necessary to cover the beets. The top of the beets should be at least 1” below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage.
(From Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon)
*To make yogurt whey use 1 quart organic live-culture whole milk yogurt. Pour yogurt into a colander or strainer lined with cheesecloth set above a bowl or pot. Let drip for 8 hours or so (I usually put mine in the fridge while it drips). In the bowl or pot will be the whey. In the cheesecloth will be yogurt cream or yogurt cheese, which you can use as you would cream cheese.
(from Full Moon Feast by Jessica Prentice)
Pickled Beets Recipe (conventional version)
By Diana Rattray, About.com
This recipe for pickled beets is made with beets, sugar, vinegar, and pickling spices.
* 12 to 16 small beets
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 1/4 cup vinegar
* 1 tablespoon whole pickling spices
Preparation:
Wash beets well; cut off leaves about an inch above beets. Cook in boiling water for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until tender. Cool; rub off skins, trim, and slice. Combine sugar and vinegar in a medium saucepan. Tie spices in a small piece of cheesecloth and place in saucepan. Simmer for 15 minutes; add sliced beets and bring to a boil. Discard spices and chill pickled beets before serving. Recipe for pickled beets serves 6.
RED FLANNEL HASH
Claimed equally by the Yankees and the South, here’s a story version, from Cooks.com:
Suspecting her husband of unfaithfulness a mining camp wife, who also ran a boarding house, awoke in a bitter mood. When she went to cook breakfast for the miners she noticed the laundry hanging to dry in the kitchen. In a fit of anger she grabbed her husband's red flannel long johns, ground them up and threw them into the hash she was preparing. The breakfast was served and the miners kept asking for more of that "bright red hash". The wife had ground up her husband's only pair of red flannels, so she substituted beet in the next batch of hash. They proved to be just as popular.
1 c. diced potato
1 med. onion, chopped
8 oz. corned beef (can use any leftover meat, although beef of some sort is best… T.)
2 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste (Worcestershire sauce may also be added, to taste… T.)
Slowly fry the beets, potato, onion, and corned beef until done. Fry or poach eggs and place on top. Serve immediately. (Serves one or two, depending on how hungry… T.)
And a more formal version, from About.com:
This Southern favorite uses corned beef, potatoes, onions, beets, fresh herbs and spices plus nutmeg for its distinct flavor. A one-skillet meal that's sure to please the family.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
* 1 lb. corned beef (or other meat or meat-substitute of choice… T.)
* 4 cold boiled potatoes, chopped
* 1 large onion, chopped
* salt, pepper and nutmeg
* 2 cooked beets, peeled and diced
* fresh herbs to taste
* 3 T. butter
Preparation:
Cut beef into small pieces, combine all remaining ingredients except the butter. Melt butter in pan and when foaming add the meat mixture, spooned out evenly on the pan. Cook over low heat, pressing mixture down with spoon. Cook for 20 minutes. When a crust forms on the bottom, flip all and cook for another 20 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.
BAGS: Requested, Recycling of Same
As most of you will know, there are various share items which must be bagged even within your usual share bag. And frankly, we’re low on appropriate bags. Thus, we’re asking our shareholders to please bring in plastic bags that you might have at home. We are looking for both standard grocery-sized bags, and smaller plastic bags such as those used for produce in supermarkets, to keep news¬papers dry, etc. If at all possible, please help us by bringing them in pre-sorted as to size.
Also, please be aware (if you aren’t already) that your plastic share bags can be re-used the following week! Better yet, invest in a cloth “market bag” that can be used over and over again. We are in the process of investigating Spoutwood-themed practical items to offer for sale, including Market Bags -- stay tuned to this space! In the meantime, if you bring back your plastic ones, you’ll help us and Mother Earth alike. Many thanks, from us and the Home Planet.
Need your rubber bands?
Fine… but if you don’t, we would be pleased if you could bring those (or any excess beyond your needs) back with you when you come. We’d be happy to reuse them to bundle your produce in the weeks to come.
Mother Earth Harvest Faire Meeting: Saturday, July 19th
Any and all are encouraged to attend the next Mother Earth Harvest Fair meeting, to be held at 4:00 on Saturday, July 19th at Spoutwood. Combining the charm of an old-fashioned country fair, time¬less traditional arts and crafts, and cutting-edge ad¬vances in green building and renewable energy, the MEHF is a celebration and showcase of healthy, sustainable, and balanced living in the Chesapeake bioregion. It also feature a large Food and Farming area, coordinated by our CSA’s own Heather Woodward. Hard to believe, but the Mother Earth Harvest Fair will be here in less than three months (October 5th)! We need all hands on deck to help the MEHF Committee and Area Coordinators pull this together.
CSA Potluck, with Core Group Meeting: Sunday, July 20th
This Sunday, July 20th, will be our next CSA Potluck and Core Group Meeting. Beginning at 5:00 with a Core Group Meeting, open to all with an interest in the operation of the CSA. Potluck dinner to follow at 6:00. Come one, come all! Potlucks are a great way to keep the “community” in Community Supported Agriculture, and are always delicious.
Upcoming School of Sustainable Living Sessions:
You are invited to two exciting programs offered by the School of Sustainable Living at Spoutwood Farm Center, Inc.: Medicinal Herbalism, on Saturday, July 19th, and Preserving the Harvest I: Canning, Tuesday evening, July 29th.
Medicinal Herbalism will be held from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon on Saturday the 19th of July, and will be led by Camille Freeman, a faculty member in the school of Herbal Medicine at the Tai Sophia Institute in Laurel, Maryland, the first fully-accredited graduate program in clinical herbalism in the United States. Herbal medicine was humankind's first medicine, and has survived centuries of indifference and, at times, outright persecution by the conventional medical establishment to re-emerge as an important alternative or complementary healing modality. With more Americans interested in taking charge of their own health care, and in light of growing awareness of the limitations and dangers of allopathic medicine, this trend seems likely to continue. Further information on this program and instructor follows. Please note that, as a half-day program, the fee is $15/person, $25/couple. Pre-registration strongly encouraged! Please contact Tom at edu@spoutwood.com for more info or to register.
Preserving the Harvest I: Canning will be led by Spoutwood's own Heather Woodward, a long-time CSA member and volunteer who last year headed the Country Kitchen at Mother Earth Harvest Fair and this year is serving as Area Coordinator for the Food and Farming area in the 2008 MEHF. Anyone who has been the recipient of her delicious preserved fruits and vegetables knows what a treat we are if for, as Heather shares her knowledge and experience in the art of canning. This session will be held on Tuesday, July 29th. Gathering begins at 6:30, presentation begins at 7:00. The fee is $10/person, $15/couple. Pre-registration required! Please contact Tom at edu@spoutwood.com to register.
Please mark these two events on your calendar, and get ready for interesting and informative sessions with Camille Freeman (Medicinal Herbalism) and Heather Woodward (Preserving the Harvest)!
As most of you will know, there are various share items which must be bagged even within your usual share bag. And frankly, we’re low on appropriate bags. Thus, we’re asking our shareholders to please bring in plastic bags that you might have at home. We are looking for both standard grocery-sized bags, and smaller plastic bags such as those used for produce in supermarkets, to keep news¬papers dry, etc. If at all possible, please help us by bringing them in pre-sorted as to size.
Also, please be aware (if you aren’t already) that your plastic share bags can be re-used the following week! Better yet, invest in a cloth “market bag” that can be used over and over again. We are in the process of investigating Spoutwood-themed practical items to offer for sale, including Market Bags -- stay tuned to this space! In the meantime, if you bring back your plastic ones, you’ll help us and Mother Earth alike. Many thanks, from us and the Home Planet.
Need your rubber bands?
Fine… but if you don’t, we would be pleased if you could bring those (or any excess beyond your needs) back with you when you come. We’d be happy to reuse them to bundle your produce in the weeks to come.
Mother Earth Harvest Faire Meeting: Saturday, July 19th
Any and all are encouraged to attend the next Mother Earth Harvest Fair meeting, to be held at 4:00 on Saturday, July 19th at Spoutwood. Combining the charm of an old-fashioned country fair, time¬less traditional arts and crafts, and cutting-edge ad¬vances in green building and renewable energy, the MEHF is a celebration and showcase of healthy, sustainable, and balanced living in the Chesapeake bioregion. It also feature a large Food and Farming area, coordinated by our CSA’s own Heather Woodward. Hard to believe, but the Mother Earth Harvest Fair will be here in less than three months (October 5th)! We need all hands on deck to help the MEHF Committee and Area Coordinators pull this together.
CSA Potluck, with Core Group Meeting: Sunday, July 20th
This Sunday, July 20th, will be our next CSA Potluck and Core Group Meeting. Beginning at 5:00 with a Core Group Meeting, open to all with an interest in the operation of the CSA. Potluck dinner to follow at 6:00. Come one, come all! Potlucks are a great way to keep the “community” in Community Supported Agriculture, and are always delicious.
Upcoming School of Sustainable Living Sessions:
You are invited to two exciting programs offered by the School of Sustainable Living at Spoutwood Farm Center, Inc.: Medicinal Herbalism, on Saturday, July 19th, and Preserving the Harvest I: Canning, Tuesday evening, July 29th.
Medicinal Herbalism will be held from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon on Saturday the 19th of July, and will be led by Camille Freeman, a faculty member in the school of Herbal Medicine at the Tai Sophia Institute in Laurel, Maryland, the first fully-accredited graduate program in clinical herbalism in the United States. Herbal medicine was humankind's first medicine, and has survived centuries of indifference and, at times, outright persecution by the conventional medical establishment to re-emerge as an important alternative or complementary healing modality. With more Americans interested in taking charge of their own health care, and in light of growing awareness of the limitations and dangers of allopathic medicine, this trend seems likely to continue. Further information on this program and instructor follows. Please note that, as a half-day program, the fee is $15/person, $25/couple. Pre-registration strongly encouraged! Please contact Tom at edu@spoutwood.com for more info or to register.
Preserving the Harvest I: Canning will be led by Spoutwood's own Heather Woodward, a long-time CSA member and volunteer who last year headed the Country Kitchen at Mother Earth Harvest Fair and this year is serving as Area Coordinator for the Food and Farming area in the 2008 MEHF. Anyone who has been the recipient of her delicious preserved fruits and vegetables knows what a treat we are if for, as Heather shares her knowledge and experience in the art of canning. This session will be held on Tuesday, July 29th. Gathering begins at 6:30, presentation begins at 7:00. The fee is $10/person, $15/couple. Pre-registration required! Please contact Tom at edu@spoutwood.com to register.
Please mark these two events on your calendar, and get ready for interesting and informative sessions with Camille Freeman (Medicinal Herbalism) and Heather Woodward (Preserving the Harvest)!
Beets!
Many thanks to my
educational intern Maria “Rhie” Lantz for this week’s
V.O.W. We do not necessarily recommend that you attempt to recreate all
Roman beet-eating practices. If you choose to do so, it is entirely at
your own risk!
The incredible, edible and under-used beet is closely related to the chard, and has some of the highest amounts of sucrose of any vegetable. The earliest remains of beets have been found at Neolithic sites in the Netherlands. It is unclear whether those are from wild or domesticated beets. It is known that the Romans did cultivate the vegetable for food and medicinal purposes. They generally ate only the tops, preferring to use the bulb for the alleviation of fevers, constipation, digestive illnesses, and blood disorders. Beet juice was considered an aphrodisiac. In fact, the phrase ‘'take favours in the beetroot fields” was a euphemism for visiting a house of ill repute.
Today, beets are consider a general cure-all. They are chock full of vitamins: A 100 gram serving of beets (1 medium beet, about 3 ounces) has 50 calories, .5 grams of fat, 11 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber and 1 gram of protein. Beets are also a good source of potassium (about 312 mg per serving) and a fair source of vitamin A (4% of the RDA). The American Heart Association recommends drinking 500mls of beet juice to lower blood pressure. The South African Health Minister even uses beetroot juice to treat AIDS cases.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beet
http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/001567golden_beet_and_pomegranate_salad.php
http://www.organicauthority.com/organic-food-recipes/salads/roasted-organic-golden-and-red-beet-salad-with-fresh-herb-goat-cheese.html
http://www.samcooks.com/relish/beets.htm#RAW%20BEET%20SALAD%20WITH%20APPLES%20AND%20RAISINS
http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch1.html
General cooking tips:
Beetroot can be peeled, steamed, and then eaten warm with butter as a delicacy; cooked, pickled, and then eaten cold as a condiment; or peeled, shredded raw, and then eaten as a salad
The incredible, edible and under-used beet is closely related to the chard, and has some of the highest amounts of sucrose of any vegetable. The earliest remains of beets have been found at Neolithic sites in the Netherlands. It is unclear whether those are from wild or domesticated beets. It is known that the Romans did cultivate the vegetable for food and medicinal purposes. They generally ate only the tops, preferring to use the bulb for the alleviation of fevers, constipation, digestive illnesses, and blood disorders. Beet juice was considered an aphrodisiac. In fact, the phrase ‘'take favours in the beetroot fields” was a euphemism for visiting a house of ill repute.
Today, beets are consider a general cure-all. They are chock full of vitamins: A 100 gram serving of beets (1 medium beet, about 3 ounces) has 50 calories, .5 grams of fat, 11 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber and 1 gram of protein. Beets are also a good source of potassium (about 312 mg per serving) and a fair source of vitamin A (4% of the RDA). The American Heart Association recommends drinking 500mls of beet juice to lower blood pressure. The South African Health Minister even uses beetroot juice to treat AIDS cases.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beet
http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/001567golden_beet_and_pomegranate_salad.php
http://www.organicauthority.com/organic-food-recipes/salads/roasted-organic-golden-and-red-beet-salad-with-fresh-herb-goat-cheese.html
http://www.samcooks.com/relish/beets.htm#RAW%20BEET%20SALAD%20WITH%20APPLES%20AND%20RAISINS
http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch1.html
General cooking tips:
Beetroot can be peeled, steamed, and then eaten warm with butter as a delicacy; cooked, pickled, and then eaten cold as a condiment; or peeled, shredded raw, and then eaten as a salad
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