Spoutwood Farm CSA Harvest Guide: Week 8- July 22, 2002
Baltimore Distribution Announcement: All shares delivered to the Calvert Street distribution point will be held until noon on Tuesday. After noon any shares which have not been picked up will be donated to a local charity. Tony and Libby have been gracious enough to allow us to use their property for distribution. We need to respect their generosity by being responsible with our food pickup. If there are any questions or concerns about Baltimore distribution, then please contact Denise Taylor, our distribution coordinator for the Baltimore area, at (410) 674-3353 or dtaylor@jhu.edu. We would also ask that you notify Denise if you are planning to be out of town or otherwise know ahead of time that you will be unable to pick up your share so we will know not to send one down for you.
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, Playing With Fire's second offering for the 2002 Summer Season.
On-line Harvest guides: The weekly harvest guides are now available online at http://www.spoutwood.com/harvest-chart.html. If you have lost your harvest guide or are simply nosy and want to see what the York people are getting, then just point your web browser our way. This is also a handy alternative if your harvest guide has become wet and unreadable in transport. All of the harvest guides from this season are now available to view or download. Each new harvest guide is typically available by 6pm the day it comes out, though sometimes (like this week) it will take longer. Hopefully you will find this resource useful. If you have any comments on this or other aspects of our website please email csa@spoutwood.com or blacksmith@spoutwood.com.
Simple Solutions for Vegetable Abundance:
Moving towards the end of July a lot of our early season crops are still coming on strong. Many of you have been concerned about how to properly use this surplus. If any shareholders would like to share their experiences with others then submit your thoughts to us in writing and we'll include them in future harvest guides. Please let us know your own ideas about vegetable abundance and we'll pass them along to other shareholders.
Beet Finale: This is the last week that we will be distributing either red or golden beets. If there are any of you out there who can't bear the thought of going without beets until the autumn, then contact us to arrange the procurement of some bonus beets.
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 nothing happy to report on the lettuce front. It seems that this hasn't been a good year for our summer lettuce. The few very hot days we had caused much of our crop to burn while the rest of it bolted. As the weather cools the lettuce should come in stronger, hopefully leading to a more plentiful fall crop.
Swiss Chard: Chard is wonderful cooked and anointed with butter or olive oil and seasonings. Add it raw to salads or chop into stir fries. Some of the leaves are from a variety called "Bright Lights" which have colored stems and veins.
Savoy Kilosa Cabbage: Similar to any other cabbage in flavor with just a taste of extra sweetness. The gorgeous, frilly leaves are what sets this cabbage apart from the other members of its family. Be sure to wash your cabbage thoroughly before using. We used an organic deterrent on the cabbage crop to discourage flea beetle activity.
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.
Garlic Scapes: These garlic tops are removed to benefit the garlic crop, but the scapes are wonderful in stir fries. Use them as you would green onions, but to add a garlic flavor rather than the taste of onion. You should remove the small tail from the head of the garlic bud before eating. This tail is the toughest part of the scapes. We're sure that these scapes are yummy in a number of recipes, but we've only ever used them in stir fries. Let us know if you make any new discoveries.
Peppers: Since our own peppers are still maturing we worked out an exchange with a nearby organic farm suffering from a pepper surplus. We swaped beets for some of their greenhouse grown peppers. We hope that these peppers will tide you over until our crop is ready to harvest.
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 sautéed in garlic and fresh herbs. Summer squash dehydrates quickly, so be sure to store in a plastic bag or hydrator drawer in the refrigerator.
Beets: Beets are terrific grilled or steamed. Grating some beets over top of a fresh salad adds a wonderful sweetness. Of course if you still have beets left over and don't know what to do with them there's always the option of pickling. Our intern Andrea says that she likes to juice her beets. Even though the juice comes out foamy she says that it is still tasty. Don't forget about the beet greens just because there's beets on the end of 'em. Beet greens are great in salads or cooked like spinach, but by now you all know how scrumptious a treat these greens are.
Golden Beets: Golden Beets are identical to regular beets except for their deep orange color. Serve as you would a purple beet. We think you'll find the golden beet tops to be a wonderful summer treat.
Herbs: The basil is ready for distribution. Try combining basil with tomato in any dish and we're certain that you won't be disappointed. This week's featured mint is a variety of spearmint. Enjoy in a tea or chewed on its own.
Flowers: This week's arrangement includes cleome (spider plant), purple and pink bee balm, catnip, tansy, blue vervain, meadow rue, Queen Anne's Lace, golden rod, wild oregano, and hedge maple leaves. Despite its bad reputation, golden rod is rarely the cause of allergic reactions. More often it is ragweed that causes the problem, but the more visible golden rod is left to take the fall. Be sure to keep your bouquet out of the reach of any cats, else they may make a mess going for the catnip.
Recipe of the Week: Vegetarian Jambalaya
adapted from
www.fabulousfoods.com
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1lb. extra firm tofu, frozen and thawed
¾ cup fresh parsley, minced
2 Tablespoons oil
2 bay leaves
1 large onion, chopped
2 tsp. dried thyme
4-6 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh chopped basil
1 16oz. can tomatoes, chopped
¼ tsp. cayenne
2 cups uncooked rice
1 cup chopped celery
1 tsp. liquid smoke
1 cup green bell pepper, diced
hot sauce, preferably Texas Pete
1 cup red bell pepper, diced
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Squeeze as much water out of thawed tofu without breaking it up too much. Cut squeezed tofu into ½ inch squares and set aside. Heat oil in a large Dutch Oven and add onions and garlic. Sauté until just starting to brown. Add remaining ingredients, except tofu, rice, and reserved liquid from tomatoes. Combine reserved tomato juice and water or vegetable stock to make about 3 cups of liquid. Add this mixture to the pot and bring to a boil. Add drained tofu and rice. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 45 minutes. Remove from heat, remove bay leaves, adjust seasoning and serve.
Important Note: Allow time to completely freeze and then thaw the tofu before you start to cook this recipe, preferably overnight. Freezing completely changes tofu's texture, making it chewy, the perfect foil for the spices and sauce of the Jambalaya.
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.
To RSVP: email kaiseriron2@yahoo.com or phone 717-235-6610
An RSVP is required by Friday July 26th for this Event
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