Spoutwood Farm CSA Harvest Guide: Week 9- August 1, 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.
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.
Lettuce: We’re certain you’ll be happy to see a fresh, full head of lettuce in this week’s share, though we can’t promise much more of it in weeks to come. Our lettuce crop just isn’t coming on as strong as we would like.
Kale: Your bi-monthly dose of Kale is ready to go. Kale is among the most nutritious vegetables available. It is a wonderful source for vitamins A, C, E, K folacin, riboflavin, thiamin, niacin, and biotin. Kale is also rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus. Red Russian, Curly Green and Dinosaur Kale are all included in this week’s share.
Purple Cabbage: These large purple heads make beautiful additions to salads. Of course they’re just as delectable when cooked.
Green Onions: A lot of this week’s onion greens come from a variety of purple onion. Use in soups or stir fires as an onion substitute. The mature onions are currently drying in our greenhouse. You can expect to receive them in a couple of weeks.
Our Own Bell Peppers: Our pepper crop is ripe and coming on strong. These week’s share includes samples from Spoutwood’s own green pepper crop.
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. The broccoli crop is coming to a close. Although there is still some secondary growth on the stalks, the main crop is now through.
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. Your share may include only one summer squash. The squash yields still aren’t what we would like them to be.
Cucumbers: Our first cucumber shipment of the season. We’re certain you’ll enjoy this cooling summer treat.
Tomatoes: The large cherry tomatoes are ready to go, but many of the larger varieties are still ripening. If you get a tomato that isn’t fully ripe set it out on a counter top or in a sunny window sill with the stem side down. With just a little patience your tomato can still reach its peak flavor.
Eggplant: The first of our eggplant is in. This week’s share includes a variety called Orient Express, characterized by its long, slender shape. They are a specialty, early harvest breed.
Beets: No more beets will be distributed unless you contact us. We still have a good amount of purple beets and a limited supply of golden, so don’t be shy if you have the need or desire for more..
Herbs: This weeks share includes some fresh basil sprigs as well as fresh parsley. Try combining basil with tomato in any dish and we’re certain that you won’t be disappointed. Parsley can be added to just about any dish to lend color and flavor.
Flowers: This week’s arrangement includes phlox, Joe pye weed, blue vervain, golden rod, tansy, Queen Anne’s Lace, globe thistle, bush honeysuckle leaves and catnip OR apple mint flowers. 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.
Middle Eastern Vegetables, from Laurel's Kitchen
| 2 tbsp. Oil | |
¾ tsp. mustard seed |
| ¼ onion | chopped ½ bay leaf | |
| 1 potato | ¼ tsp. celery seed | |
| 1 carrot | ½ tsp. dill weed | |
| ½ head cauliflower | ½ tsp. paprika | |
| 2 zucchini | 1 tsp. salt | |
| 1 tomato | 1 medium green apple |
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°. Dice potato, carrot, and apple small. Separate cauliflower into small florets. Cut zucchini into chunks. Sauté onion in oil with bay leaf, mustard seed, celery seed, and dill. Stir in vegetables in this order, leaving two minutes or so between each addition: potato, carrot, cauliflower, apple. Add tomato and zucchini together. Heat quickly and transfer to oven for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and paprika. The trick of getting vegetables to bake evenly is to cut the longest cooking vegetables (potato, carrot, and cauliflower) quite small. Try other vegetable combinations for variety. The tomato and apple are essential, and the potato adds a good deal, but be creative. A green pepper cut in chunks is a nice addition. So is a red pepper in season. Serves 4-6.
Click here for a printer-friendly version of this recipe.
Spoutwood Farm's Season Extension Workshop
Saturday August 3, 10am till 3pm
One of the many challenges faced by farmers and gardeners alike is the limitations imposed on crop production by seasonal changes. Late spring chills and early autumn frosts can wreak havoc on an unprotected garden. Join us as we discuss effective strategies for increasing garden productivity by extending the growing season. Topics will include cold frame growing, tunnel construction, greenhouse gardening, and much much more. For a good overview of season extension practices, reference Four Season Harvest
by
Eliot Coleman. This workshop is free of charge and open to the public. We
recommend that you bring a bagged lunch with you, as there will be a lunch
break. We also ask that you RSVP so we have an idea of how many to expect.
To RSVP: email csa@spoutwood.com or phone 717-235-6610
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. Those who came to the last core group meeting were treated to a wonderful time topped of by a delicious meal. 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
(not required, but it helps us with planning)
Attack of the squash
people
by Marge Piercy
And thus the people every year
in the valley of humid July
did sacrifice themselves
to the long green phallic god
and eat and eat and eat
They’re coming, they’re on
us,
the long striped gourds, the silky
babies, the hairy adolescents,
the lumpy vast adults
like the trunks of green elephants.
Recite fifty zucchini
recipes!
Zucchini tempura; creamed soup;
sauté with olive oil and cumin,
tomatoes, onion; frittata;
casserole of lamb; baked
topped by cheese; marinated;
stuffed; stewed; driven
through the heart like a stake.
Get rid of old friends: they
too
have gardens and full trunks.
Look for newcomers; befriend
them in the post office, unload
on them and run. Stop tourists
in the street. Take truckloads
to Boston. Give to your Red Cross.
Beg on the high roads:
please
take my zucchini, I have a crippled
mother at home with heartburn.
Sneak out before dawn to drop
them in other people’s gardens,
in baby buggies at churchdoors.
Shot, smuggling zucchini into mailboxes, a federal
offense.
With a suave reptilian glitter
you bask among your raspy
fronds sudden and huge as
alligators. You give and
give
too much, like summer days
limp with heat, thunderstorms
bursting their bags on our heads,
as we salt and freeze and pickle
for the too little to come.
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