Announcing spoutwood.com: For the first time ever Spoutwood Farm has a website dedicated to it's many assorted ventures. Although Margie Roswell, one of our CSA shareholders, has long hosted a CSA website on her homepage (http://www.charm.net/~mroswell/csa.html) this is the first time that a comprehensive Spoutwood Farm site has been available. For the most complete, up to date information on all things Spoutwood, visit our website at www.spoutwood.com. As the website is still new it is by no means complete. Many of the areas have yet to be filled out but we're off to a pretty good start. Please check in to witness the progress we have made and feel free to offer any suggestions that you might have, but be sure to visit again in the coming weeks to watch as the website expands.
A Walk Through the Stars: Many CSA shareholders are unaware of the additional programs sponsored by Spoutwood Farm. As a sample of the sort of thing we do around here when not working in the field this week's share includes a copy of our Wonder Under the Stars brochure. This program is meant as an introduction to our cosmos. Led by the irrepressible Fred Ruof, a life-long astronomer and lover of the stars, this program will thrill and delight audiences of all ages. The Wonder Under program happens rain or shine, so don't be scarred away by a cloudy night. Fred will assuredly make the evening worth your while regardless of weather. Please call the Farm or email Fred for information, directions, or reservations.
Available Surplus: Due to the abundance in the garden this season we have some crops that we are holding back. Any shareholders interested in augmenting their shares are encouraged to visit the farm and pick amongst the plenty. Currently we are overstocked on Kale and Beets. We also have some left over kohlrabi for any of you out there who are missing it. Drop by to harvest these beauties for your table, but please call ahead to be sure that there will be somebody available to assist you when you arrive.
Theater in Monkton: That's right folks. You heard it here first. Just two more weeks until High Culture reaches Monkton Maryland. The Playing With Fire Theatre Company will open it's 2002 Summer Season with a performance of Christopher Fry's The Lady's Not for Burning, starring our own CSA shareholder Figment Leinwand. Judging by the stellar stage performances Figment has proffered in the past I can personally assure you that this is not an event you will want to miss out on. Directed by the incomparable Amy January, a stoic supporter of Spoutwood's many undertakings, this extraordinary comedy is sure to be the show to see this season. Check the back of your harvest guides for details on this show and The Snow Queen, the 2002 offering from Sparklers' Children's Theatre.
Organic Eggs, Meat, Milk, Cheese, and Fruits: Adding other organic foods to your family's diet will supplement what you are getting from your Spoutwood share. Several possible avenues are open to you. Many local health food stores carry a wide array of organic groceries, and even chain supermarkets have been bitten by the organic bug. Giant, Weiss, and even the dreaded Wal-Mart, among other supermarkets, all carry organic products. There are many good Internet sites dedicated to the sale of organic products, to say nothing of the various mail order co-ops around the country.
As always, we would encourage you to look first to local sources for your needs. In the past we have gotten quality products from both Wil-Ar Farms and LaDa Farms. Wil-Ar deals mostly in organic cheese, though they do have some organic meats available as well. They can be contacted at 717-776-6552. LaDa is an organic chicken farm that is a good source for organic poultry or eggs. LaDa can be reached at 717-308-2166. If there are any shareholders interested in coordinating with either LaDa or Wil-Ar Farms for a CSA delivery we would greatly appreciate it. We have worked with them in the past, but have decided this year that the coordination of such an endeavor will be left up to any interested shareholders.
Currently we do not know of any good sources for local, organic fruits. It is very difficult to produce the type of fruit that the market demands without resorting to the methods of chemical agriculture. As such all of the growers that we know of in this area are dependent on non-organic sprays and treatments for their fruit crops. If anybody out there knows of a good source for organic fruits we would love to hear about it.
Simple Solutions for Vegetable Abundance: When considering new ways to handle your abundance of fresh, organic, produce, do not disregard the value of simplicity. Not every vegetable needs to be steamed, stir fried, or served up in a salad. Remember the versatile sandwich. We love natural peanut butter with tomato and greens (mustard greens are awesome) on a multi-grain bread. Egg salad, tuna salad, and cheese sandwiches all benefit from a healthy multi-layering of varied greens. CSA member Marion Winik suggests making a BLT with mustard greens substituted for the lettuce. Red Russian Kale will also work well in this capacity. Marion also suggests steaming beet greens and serving them chopped with buckwheat (soba) noodles and a dressing of tahini (sesame butter), miso (a soy product), some garlic, and cider or rice vinegar.
Please write down your own ideas about vegetable abundance and share them with us. We'll pass along your thoughts to other shareholders.
Work Hours : All of you should know when you are doing your work support hours. Planning a time to do your work hours helps us to construct a workable garden schedule. If you have not yet scheduled a time with us to do your work hours then please do so soon.
Arugula: Arugula is a wonderful green. It adds a bitey, nutty zest to any salad.
Lettuce: Still no headway on the new crop. The rain we got Saturday night into Sunday helped jump start some growth, but not enough for distribution. We are hoping that by next week the lettuce will be ready to go. We'll keep the sprinkler running and our fingers crossed.
Kale: The Kale is growing abundantly. If anybody would like some extra kale they are encouraged to arrange a time to come pick some. This weeks share includes both curly leaf and Red Russian kale.
Bok Choi: This is the last of the season's Bok Choi. Most of the plants have holes in the leaves and are very mature. Don't let this stop you from enjoying these delicious stems and greens.
Turnips: We planted turnips for the greens, but the greens were attacked by bug meanies. Confronted with the thought of more greens I'm sure that many of you are breathing a sigh of relief at this destruction, but many of us are devastated by the loss of these scrumptious morsels. Instead of greens, however, you will be receiving some white turnips. Use them raw in salads or sliced thin and cooked.
Watercress: Watercress grows like a weed in the smaller of our two streams. All the better for you. We would recommend cooking it, especially into soups. Wash very, very thoroughly if you want to add it to salads. It's very bitey this time of year, but it adds a wonderful crispness when eaten raw. Chock full of Vitamin A and many other important nutrients, watercress is among the top five healthiest plants to eat. Any plant with such a dark green chlorophyll base is bound to be super nutritious.
Raddichio: Raddichio adds color and tang to any salad. It is similar to lettuce, especially the tender inner leaves. Radicchio tends toward the important, usually neglected bitter end of the taste scale. Now don't sneer. Bitter is better after all, especially when it is one of many flavors in a salad served up with a tasty dressing.
Collard Greens: The best way to prepare collard greens is to steam or stir fry adding oil or butter and seasonings. Some of our shareholders have been praising the taste of raw collards as well. This green is a very humble, very good fare.
Potatoes: This year's potato crop was just a trial run, and we believe the experiment to be a success. Although the yield may seem small, bear in mind that we didn't dedicate much space in the garden to potatoes. Since this is our first attempt at potatoes we wanted to be conservative in our planting. Considering how successful the trial has been you can certainly expect more potatoes in future years. We will also have another variety of potatoes ready later in the season, and it seems that they are doing just as well as these baby reds.
Broccoli: Fresh broccoli can be eaten raw, chopped into green salads, or enjoyed with a dip. Steamed broccoli is a tasty treat. Don't forget about those wonderful stems either. They are delicious roasted or in a stir fry. You may want to peel the tough, lower sections of the stem before eating, but we guarantee that these stems are a treat you are sure to enjoy.
Zucchini: Slice up raw for salads or cook in various ways. Zucchini doesn't store as well as other members of the squash family, so be sure to enjoy this tasty summer treat soon after receiving your share. Zucchini is a prolific vegetable, so you shouldn't worry about using it up. You will be receiving more with each of your shares for the next several weeks.
Yellow Squash: Our summer squash is not coming on as strong as we would like, but there is still plenty of summer left for this trend to turn around. Enjoy this tasty treat sliced raw in salads or include it in your favorite recipes. Yellow squash is great splashed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil and roasted along with other vegetables. It also bakes well., and is a great source of both potassium and calcium without piling on the calories. We're sure you'll enjoy this summer time delicacy.
Patty Pan: Patty Pan squash is terrific grilled or baked in a casserole. For a special treat try stuffing your Patty Pan with buttered fresh bread crumbs that have been sauteed in garlic and fresh herbs. Summer squash dehydrates quickly, so be sure to store in a plastic bag or hydrator drawer in the refrigerator. Some shares may not receive both a patty pan and a yellow squash, but don't be too disappointed. We still have a lot of growing season left for these tasty summer treats.
Red Cabbage: Large shares only. Some of the red cabbage is ready to go now, but most of it is not yet mature. Medium shareholders can expect some red cabbage in the weeks to come.
Herb: More Apple Mint and Parsley this week. The Apple Mint is very cooling on hot summer days, especially when brewed into a tea. Parsley
Flowers: This week's arrangement includes cleome (spider plant), purple bee balm, catnip, snowball hydrangeas, blue vervain, meadow rue, Queen Anne's Lace, wild oregano flowers, pink phlox, willow leaves, and painted fern leaves. Be sure to keep your bouquet out of the reach of any cats, else they may make a mess going for the catnip.
Pasta with Pesto Veggies
Ingredients:
2/3 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 lb. pasta
1 cup julienned carrots
1 cup julienned zucchini
1/2 cup julienned red bell pepper
Instructions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions while you prepare the pesto. Place basil (leaves only) along with pine nuts and garlic in a food processor or blender and process until finely chopped. With the machine running, pour in the olive oil in a thin stream. Add the cheese, salt, and pepper to taste and process briefly to combine. Thin with 2 tbsp hot water. Steam vegetables until crisp tender. Toss with hot pasta (cooked and drained) and vegetables and serve.
Summer Squash Patties
from
www.vegweb.com
Ingredients:
· 4 green onion, chopped (white and green part)
· 2 Tbsp canola oil
· 2 medium yellow summer squash (or zucchini if you like) - grated
· 2 medium red potatoes - grated
· 1 cup quick oats
· 2 eggs substitute
· 1/2 tsp sea salt
· 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
· 1/4 cup canola oil
Directions:
Sauté green onions in canola oil over medium heat in a no stick fry pan for about 2 - 3 minutes. Add grated potato and let cook about half way and then add summer squash. In a medium sized clean bowl, add oats, egg substitute, salt and pepper. Mix well. Add squash mixture and blend with a fork.
In a clean fry pan at a medium heat, warm the 1/4 cup canola oil. Spoon mixture in and form patties (8). Let brown 2-3 minutes and turn. Brown other side.
Great all on their own but good with yogurt or sour cream on top too!
We like these with a mess of greens on the side or a salad filled with fresh goodness from the garden (tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh dill and kohlrabi with a bit of cottage cheese is good with maybe some fresh chopped peppers).
Enjoy!
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Playing With Fire Theatre Company Presents:
The Lady's Not for Burning
(a comedy unmatched by Christopher Fry)
July 26 and 27, August 1 and 2, 8 p.m.
Clymalira Church at Old York and Stockton Roads
and
Sparklers' Children's Theatre presents: The Snow Queen
(adapted for stage by Amy January and Courtney Yates)
July 27 and 28, August 3, 2 p.m.
Clynmalira Church at Old York and Stockton Roads
Amy January is directing and Courtney Yates is producing these two wonderful shows. The Lady's Not for Burning features local high school and college students. The Snow Queen features local elementary and middle school students. Tickets are $5. Come see the shows and tell your friends and family. Don't miss out!
Spoutwood Farm CSA Core Group Meeting
Sunday, July 21st, 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
The CSA Core Group is the governing body of the Spoutwood Farm CSA. Core Group members make decisions about the farm and its operating procedures. The Core Group also helps to establish CSA policies. All shareholders are invited to become members of the core group. The Core Group benefits from increased member involvement, and you would benefit from the meeting as well. Come on down and learn all about what goes on behind the scenes at the Farm. All meetings end with a scrumptious potluck supper, insuring that all present have a chance to sample the bounty they've helped bring about. An interesting time is sure to be had by all.
To RSVP: email csa@spoutwood.com or phone 717-235-6610
Mead Making Workshop
Saturday, July 27th, 3pm till 6pm
Join our resident Blacksmith Michael Kaiser as he takes you step by step through the process of making mead. Mead is a drink made with fermented honey, one of the world's oldest fermented beverages. This workshop costs $20 per person. This cost includes instruction in the process of mead making, a mead making handout, and a mead tasting complete with crackers and cheese. For more details check out our website www.spoutwood.com and look in the events section. Or click here.
To RSVP: email events@spoutwood.com or phone 717-235-6610
An RSVP is required by Friday July 26th for this Event
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