Spoutwood Farm CSA Harvest Guide: Week 7: July 24, 2008
To return to the 2008 Harvest Guide page, click here
Greetings, Spoutwood Farm friends!
Welcome to the seventh 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.
We are truly in High Summer, weather-wise, but so far our Summer vegetables are continuing to lag behind schedule a bit… We have cucumbers, green peppers, and summer squash, but the tomatoes and eggplant still have some growing (or ripening) to do. I commented last week that threatening our kale, and potentially other “cole” crops, are colorful but lethal (to greens) harlequin bugs, and said that our apprentices were researching counter-measures. Well, we found what we needed to do. Read on, for a (sort of) musical interlude:
Pyganic
Oh, we sprayed Pyganic, Pyganic,
We thought that we should let you know
But there’s no need to panic, panic,
Just wash it off real nice and slow!
The Harlequin bugs hit it, hit it, hit it,
The poor old kale they hit it, hit it, hit it,
And started on the collards, too
We knew we had to fix it, fix it, fix it,
Was up to us to fix it, fix it, fix it,
So what were we going to do?
We had to spray Pyganic, Pyganic,
We thought we oughta let you know
That we sprayed Pyganic, Pyganic,
Just wash it and you’re good to go!
(with apologies to Danity Kane and “Damaged”)
Pyganic is an organic insecticide which includes pyrethrum, made from chrysanthemums. Although organic, it’s powerful, kills a lot of different insects, and we really prefer not to use it. As I (Tom) was spray¬ing the other day, I took satisfaction in seeing the Harlequin bugs succumb. But what of the bumblebees and June bugs exploring the pollen and nectar of the flowering hairy galansaga (a weed, which is another story altogether)? Will they also be zapped by this “natural” but lethal insecticide?
Yet, if we did not spray, not only the kale and collards but potentially all of our brassicas (“cole” crops, cruciferous vegetables) would be at risk. And that would not be fair to you, our shareholders, who are expecting a goodly supply of vegetables from us. These are the kinds of questions and conundrums one is faced with in organic farming. Conventional farmers, of course, just use the chemicals and ignore the consequences. We ignore nothing… but it does make for some hard choices.
In any case, from the perspective of you, our shareholders, and cooking or otherwise eating the veggies, Pyganic breaks down quickly, usually in about 12-24 hours. We sprayed on Tuesday, so since you’re getting the vegetables on Thursday, there’s no need for concern. There wouldn’t be, anyway, as Pyganic is listed as being non-toxic to mammals (which includes us), but we do encourage you to take a little extra time and wash them a little bit more thoroughly than usual this week, just to make sure!
And we hope the spirits of any non-pest insects caught in the dosing will forgive us…
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: spoutwood_csa@yahoo.com. 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!
Kale: Curly Kale is not the vegetable most beloved by one of the Three Stooges; it is a nutrious green leafy vegetable in the brassica (cruci¬ferous) family. Kale is excel¬lent in soups or cooked as a pot-herb; smaller and more tender leaves can be enjoyed in salads. Particularly good in potato-kale soup! Please note that even the Pyganic did not totally solve the Harlequin bug problem. Soak leaves in salt water and wash carefully, checking for residual eggs or larva on the undersides of the leaves.
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. Mix of red (bull’s blood), golden, and Chioggia beets today: last of the season.
Potatoes: Not technically a root vegetable, potatoes are actually tubers. Call ’em roots or call ’em tubers, however, I call ’em delicious! A mix of several varieties of these delicious below-ground dwellers. Delicious roasted, boiled, steamed, fried, hashed, mashed, in salads, soups, and casseroles, and just about any other way you can imagine! Store in a dark place, and cook before eating.
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!
Cucumbers: Another classic summer vegetable, cucumbers are lovely in salads, fresh or marinated; and of course pickled. Select from green or “blonde” cucumbers, depending on availability.
Summer Squash: Our summer squash is beginning to produce, although it still hasn’t cranked up to its full-mid-season potential. Enjoy in ratatouille, lightly steamed, broiled or grilled, etc.
Green Beans: A classic Spoutwood “bean-anza”! A plethora of green beans for your dining pleasure. Good cooked with new potatoes!
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! Not only is mushy disgusting, but overcooking releases bitter flavors that are better left un-released. Steam lightly instead, and eat with a splash of balsamic vinegar. May also be used in cole slaw, pepper cabbage, and other raw salads. Variety includes Alcosa, also known as Savoy, with crinkly leaves; red cabbage; or Primax (smooth green). Everyone but Baltimore.
Broccoli/Cauliflower: Baltimore gets to choose between these two closely related brassicas. Either would be delicious raw in salads, lightly steamed, or stir-fried. Don’t overcook! Many of us have bad memories of mushy broccoli or cauliflower… a travesty indeed, for such a lovely veggie treat.
Garlic: Pronounced “gollick” by Emeril, and a long-time favorite of those who want to “kick it up a notch” – particularly in Mediterranean and Asian cookery – our delicious, nutritious, and oh-so-pungent Spoutwood garlic is in. Redolent of the Mediterranean, use garlic in pesto, sauce aoli (garlic-flavored mayonnaise), and in many other dishes. Its Latin name means the “holy herb,” and many of us would agree that is only fitting!
Oregano: Continuing the Mediterranean theme, we offer oregano this week. This aromatic herb is popular in many Italian, Greek, and Provençal dishes, and in Mexican cookery as well. Oregano is also a potent anti-oxidant, and its oil has anti-bacterial properties. Please note that cooking requires twice as much fresh as it would dried herbs! So if the recipe calls for half a teaspoon of dried oregano, you’ll need a full teaspoon of fresh.
Flowers: Our bouquet this week includes dogbane, yellow tansy or goldenrod, Queen Anne’s lace, Holy or African blue basil, and Zinnia or African marigolds.
Bread: For those who purchased bread shares, today’s selection from Atwaters is a lovely country white. Ideal for everything from meal accompaniment, to sandwiches, to French toast, perhaps the most versatile bread we receive from Atwaters.
Cucumber Lemonade (Agua de Pepino)
• 1 cucumber, peeled and cubed
• 1 lemon
• 5 c water
• Sugar to taste
Add cucumber and water to a blender and puree. Strain. Add juice of lemon and sugar to taste. Serve over ice.
Wash and slice cucumbers. Dip them in a mixture of egg and a little milk. Coat them in flour or corn meal and fry in a skillet like you would fried green tomatoes.
Tapenade in Cucumber
Ingredients:
• 250 g pitted black olives
• 100 g garlic
• 100 g anchovy in olive oil
• 80 g drained capers
• 60 - 70 ml olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper
• cucumber
• Ritz crackers (or similar circular, salty crackers)
First, prepare the tapenade. Puree the olives, garlic, anchovy and capers in a food processor until you have a smooth paste of an unappetizing colour. Add the olive oil, continue processing for a short while, and the tapenade is ready.
Cut off one end of the cucumber and remove the seeds using a narrow knife. Fill the hollowed cucumber with tapenade.
Press a cracker against the cucumber end, cut off a slice of the cucumber and catch the slice on the cracker. Repeat the procedure until you have enough crackers, each covered with a tapenade-filled cucumber slice.
Any tapenade that is left will keep for at least a week in the fridge and can be used as a spread.
Su-no-Mono (Japanese Cucumber and Noodles)
Ingredients:
• 1/4 c sake
• 1 1/2 oz cellophane noodles (mung bean thread)
• 1/3 c mild rice vinegar
• 2 T tamari soy sauce
• 2 T mirin
• 2 medium cucumbers
• 1/2 t salt
• 2 oz cooked crab meat OR 4 T chopped red bell pepper
Bring about 1/4 cup sake to a boil, immediately remove from heat, and cool. Reserve 2 tablespoons of boiled sake.
Cook the bean threads according to package directions (usually, boil for 3 minutes). Drain and place the noodles in a bowl of cold water. Run more cold water over the noodles until they are completely cool.
Combine 2 tablespoons of the sake with the vinegar, soy sauce, and mirin. Cool.
Peel the cucumbers, cut in hal lengthwise, remove the seeds, and slice as thinly as possible. Place in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, and allow to sit for a few minutes. Squeeze the salted cucumber slices. Rinse well, squeezing out all of the excess water after rinsing.
In a (beautiful) bowl, place the noodles and then the cucumbers. Sprinkle on the crabmeat or bell pepper. Pour the marinade over all and serve.
Fried Cucumbers
Wash and slice cucumbers. Dip them in a mixture of egg and a little milk. Coat them in flour or corn meal and fry in a skillet like you would fried green tomatoes.
Esther's Cucumber Sandwiches
I grew up in England in a household where we had cucumber sandwiches for tea very often; we also used to take them for seaside picnics. Here is the recipe of my grandfather's housekeeper, Esther King:
Ingredients:
• 1 thin cucumber
• 1 loaf brown bread, sliced
• 1 stick sweet butter
• salt and pepper to taste
Peel cucumber and slice in paper-thin rounds. Salt rounds lightly and place in colander for 15 minutes to drain. Press to release water; pat dry with paper towels.
Spread sliced bread (bakery whole wheat is closest to English Hovis) with softened sweet butter. Put 2 layers of cucumber slices on bottom slice, salt and pepper to taste, and top with another buttered slice. Press lightly with palm of hand. Cut all crusts off with a sharp knife. Cut sandwiches in half diagonally.
Chicken in Cucumber & Lemon Sauce
Ingredients
• 2 large cucumbers, peeled, halved, appox. 4 cups (less is bad, more is fine)
• 7 tbs. butter
• 1/2 c flour
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (or any skinless, boneless chicken)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 c chicken stock
• 1 c whipping cream
• 2 tb plus 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbs minced dill
Place cucumbers in colander. Sprinkle with salt, toss, and let drain 1 hr. Pat cucumbers dry. Melt 3 tbs butter in heavy lg skilet over med. heat. Add cucumbers and saute until light brown, about 7 min. Set aside.
In small cup, mix 1 tbs flour and 1 tbs butter to smooth paste, set aside. Place remaining 1/2 c flour in shallow baking dish with pepper and season with salt. Coat chicken and shake off excess. Melt remaining 3 tbs butter with oil in another heavy large skillet over high heat. Add chicken and saute until brown. Add 1/2 cup stock. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through (about 4 minutes). Transfer chicken to platter.
Add remaining 1/2 cup stock to chicken skillet. Increase heat to high and boil until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 3 minutes). Add cream & bring to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened to sauce consistency (about 2 minutes), stirring frequently. Stir in lemon juice and 1 tbs dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add chicken and cucumbers to sauce, heat through. Transfer to plates. Spoon sauce & cucumbers over chicken. Sprinkle with tbs. dill.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucumber
http://health.learninginfo.org/nutrition-facts/cucumber.htm
http://www.foodreference.com/html/fcucumber.html
http://www.bellybytes.com/foodfacts/cucumber_facts.html
http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~bcohen/cucumbers/recipes/
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.
Upcoming School of Sustainable Living Session, Tuesday July 29th (rescheduled):
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. There are rumors participants will be able to take home their own jar of dill pickles! This session will be held on Tuesday, July 29th, not July 22nd as origin¬ally scheduled. 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 this event on your calendar, and get ready for an interesting and informative session with Heather Woodward in Preserving the Harvest!
Like the tomato, the cucumber is technically a fruit since it has seeds for reproducing but because of its bitter taste and preparation techniques it is considered a vegetable for all intents and purposes. A gourd that is related to the squash and pumpkin, it grows on climbing vines, with a leafy canopy to protect the fruit.
Originally grown 3,000 years ago in India, the cucumber began to be cultivated in Europe by the 6th century. It came to France at that time, then England in 14th century and finally North American in the 19th century. It and other raw vegetables fell out of favor in England in the 16th century because they were believed to cause summer sickness in children. “Cukes” were reputed to be fit only for cows, and earned the nickname ‘cowcumber’ (Tom is inclined to agree with this...).
Cucumbers have very few calories – 8 per half cup serving – and some vitamin C. The skin is high in fiber, and contains potassium and magnesium. Since it is mostly water, it is an excellent diuretic. How¬ever, those who are allergic to aspirin or pollen should not eat cucumber as it can cause irritation in the mouth.
Cooking Tips: can be chopped and tossed in salads or used as garnish for any entrée. Add to water, more refreshing than lemon (some say…), and doesn’t change the taste the way lemon does.
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.
Upcoming School of Sustainable Living Session, Tuesday July 29th (rescheduled):
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. There are rumors participants will be able to take home their own jar of dill pickles! This session will be held on Tuesday, July 29th, not July 22nd as origin¬ally scheduled. 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 this event on your calendar, and get ready for an interesting and informative session with Heather Woodward in Preserving the Harvest!
Cucumbers
Many thanks to my educational intern Maria “Rhie” Lantz for this week’s V.O.W.Like the tomato, the cucumber is technically a fruit since it has seeds for reproducing but because of its bitter taste and preparation techniques it is considered a vegetable for all intents and purposes. A gourd that is related to the squash and pumpkin, it grows on climbing vines, with a leafy canopy to protect the fruit.
Originally grown 3,000 years ago in India, the cucumber began to be cultivated in Europe by the 6th century. It came to France at that time, then England in 14th century and finally North American in the 19th century. It and other raw vegetables fell out of favor in England in the 16th century because they were believed to cause summer sickness in children. “Cukes” were reputed to be fit only for cows, and earned the nickname ‘cowcumber’ (Tom is inclined to agree with this...).
Cucumbers have very few calories – 8 per half cup serving – and some vitamin C. The skin is high in fiber, and contains potassium and magnesium. Since it is mostly water, it is an excellent diuretic. How¬ever, those who are allergic to aspirin or pollen should not eat cucumber as it can cause irritation in the mouth.
Cooking Tips: can be chopped and tossed in salads or used as garnish for any entrée. Add to water, more refreshing than lemon (some say…), and doesn’t change the taste the way lemon does.
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