|
|
|
|
July 19, 2012 Volume 18, Issue 6
|
|
|
|
|
Greetings!
Fruit, Farmers, Friends and Unexpected Adventures in Wisconsin
Kate Ritger, Production Manager
The short of it is, two friends and I got stranded in Eau Clare, Wis., on Sunday night with car trouble. The check engine light came on, it was diagnosed by a friendly mechanic as a turbo/over-boost condition, and it took until Tuesday morning to get the part and get back to St. Joe.
The great blessings of the trip include, but are not limited to: a friend's family who lives in Eau Clare opened their home to us for the two nights, my traveling companions were easy-going, helpful and delightful "stranded" partners, we were stranded in a city with a Volkswagen Dealership, the break down could have been far more intense (no smoking engines, blown out parts or even a need for towing), and the repair could have been far more expensive. In the midst of this, the gardeners back in St. Joe persevered through the heat and picked zucchinis with great vigor.
But before all of this hoopla came about, I attended a wonderful gathering at Hilltop Community Farm in LaValle, Wis., on Saturday entitled Currant Events. Are you familiar with gooseberries, saskatoons, sea berries, elderberries, red, white and black currants, chokeberries, and goumi berries? And have you tasted them? Hilltop Farm is a CSA north of Madison that is transitioning a pasture through agroforestry to sustainable fruit production. Agroforestry, similar to permaculture, is an intensive land-use management system that combines a variety of plants within the same area that create networks of mutual support (i.e. a fruit tree provides shade to berry shrubs underneath and the shrubs or other ground covering plants provide necessary nutrients to the fruit trees).
The event was sponsored by the Wisconsin Farmer's Union with additional support from the Michael Fields Agriculture Institute, Family Farm Defenders, and the North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. I highly recommend you learn more about these organizations. They have a wide variety of resources on their websites, including information about events. There is also a comparableMinnesota Farmer's Union with resources specific to agricultural issues in our state. And it is notable that the Executive Director of Family Farm Defenders is Rockville, Minn., native John Peck. It was nice to visit with John and hear about the work he is engaged in through a lunch-time panel.
About 50 people gathered at Hilltop from across the region. Folks drove from Madison, southeastern Wis., Dubuque and Decorah, Iowa, the Twin Cities, and the Green Bay, Wis., area. We enjoyed conversation about our farming experiences, a tour of the endeavors at Hilltop, a delicious lunch by a local organic deli, a panel by representatives of the above organizations, music, jam making demonstrations, and a berry-inspired pie contest. I was fortunate enough to be one of the judges - heavenly! Stay tuned for our own pie contest; I'm thinking winter squash-inspired might be a good theme.
And there is going to be another fruit event sponsored by the Wisconsin Farmer's Union at a farm near Bayfield, Wis. Check out information here, and make plans to explore beautiful northern Wis
|
   
Kale Swiss chard collard greens zucchini
(you will receive one of these greens, not all three!)
    
green/purple beans white/purple kohlrabi scallions beets
Pick-Your-Own Beans!
It's so easy and fun to plant bush beans; the seeds are large thereby far less tedious to put in the ground than carrots or spinach, and beans are healthy for the soil because they fix nitrogen which is an essential process for plant life. So, we may have gotten carried away on bean planting day. We have far more beans than we can pick, and as many of you know, beans are gifts that keep on giving. At least for a while, if we continue to pick the beans, they will continue to produce more and more beans.
Subscribers, come out and pick yourself some more beans.
Friends of the garden, we'll be selling beans at the Farmer's Market for $4 a pound - come pick your own for $2.50 a pound. We are at the garden daily from 8-4:30 with evening hours on Tuesdays from 5-7, and Thursday from 4:30-6. We've got the scale, buckets and bags. Call Kate if you arrive and can't find a gardener: 262-339-7737.
Vegetable Forecast
Cabbage, carrots and cucumbers are on their way, in addition to more kale, collards, Swiss Chard, and zucchini.
Bread of the Week Rye
|
|
Distribution takes place every Thursday afternoon, unless otherwise notifed.
- 4-6 pm at the Common Ground Garden---You really can't miss the barn at Saint Benedict's Monastery. Enter at the college entrance from Minnesota Street near 4th Ave SW. Make a right at the stop sign and follow the gravel road out to the barn.
- 5-6 pm at St. John's Episcopal Church in St. Cloud. For a link on google maps, click here.
|
Swap Bin
We want you to love and be able to use all of the produce you receive from us. If you know that you won't be able to use a certain vegetable and you don't have a friend with whom to share it, leave it in the swap bin. Another subscriber who loves what you left behind can pick it up, or it will get distributed to another vegetable lover.
Bring us your Bags
We encourage you to bring your own bags to pick up vegetables--canvas bags are great. We recycle brown paper bags, plastic grocery bags, and egg cartons, too. All of those plastic bags in which you get your veggies are recyclable. Rinse them out and bring them in and we'll take them to Coburn's for recycling.
Composting
Bring us your food scraps! If you don't have your own home composting system, add them to the Monastery compost pile. No dairy products or meat, please. The pile is located just south of the big yellow barn.
Evening Hours in the Garden
Get your hands in the dirt on Tuesday evenings from 5-7 p.m. You are the Common Ground Garden. Produce from the garden is widely distributed to subscribers, patrons of the Farmer's Market, Minnesota Street Market, and area food shelves, the Sisters of Saint Benedict, and friends of the garden who work in exchange for produce. Be part of the physical efforts. Kids and low mobility gardeners are welcome.
|
|
Make homemade, natural chap-stick and lotion with Gardener Emily Reimer
Thursday, July 26, 5-6 p.m., in the Barn Milk House
Emily will lead us through the process. If you would like to take home a sample, please bring $3 to cover the cost of supplies.
Outdoor Movie Night at the Garden
Join the gardeners for a viewing of The Lorax on Friday, August 3, at 9:30 p.m.. Bring chairs or blankets. We'll have bug spray and some snacks.
From the Catholic Worker
The Central MN Catholic Worker hosts community dinner on Monday nights. Dinner at 6:30. Prayer from 7-8. All are welcome. 35 2nd Ave SE, St. Joe. Learn more about the community at www.centralmncw.org.
St. Joseph's Farmers' Market
Last week all CGG members and "friends" received an e-mail with the SJFM Newsletter. If you would like to continue to get that newsletter, please e-mail me (S. Pat Ruether) and I will put you on the SJFM Friends list. The St. Joe market is open every Friday 3-6:30 p.m. near the St. Joe water tower. Visit the SJFM website for more information about vendors, what's new and special events throughout the year.
|
|
Eat your veggies and get ready for crafts with the gardeners. Bingo cards will still be available this week at distribution. This is a playful way to engage your kids in eating from the garden. Cross off vegetables when your child has eaten them. Any child who has at least 5 in a row by the end of the season will be invited for a special craft event.
|
|
Green Beans, Zucchini and Potatoes Recipe Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse
2 Tablespoons olive oil
½ chopped onion
½ pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in half
Generous pinch of cayenne
4 ounces zucchini, split in half and cut into 1-inch thick slices
4 ounces small red skin potatoes
2 tablespoons chopped oregano
¼ cup chopped parsley
2 cups crushed tomatoes and juices
Salt and pepper
1 loaf of crusty French bread
½ pound good feta cheese
In a large, heavy, and preferably non-stick pan heat oil. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Then add the green beans and cayenne pepper and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini, potatoes and herbs. Pour tomatoes and their juices over the vegetables, bring to a boil, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 40 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool or serve warm. Serve in a small bowl topped with feta cheese and surrounded by French bread.
Roasted kohlrabi and fennel salad with green beans http://veggiepotluck.wordpress.com/2011/06/13/roasted-kohlrabi-and-fennel-salad/
1 medium kohlrabi, outer skin removed and chopped into cubes
1 large or 2 small fennel, cored and roughly chopped
150 grams (about 1/3 pound) green beans, trimmed
For the dressing:
2 tsp. wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tbsp. olive oil
¼ tsp. sea salt
Preheat the oven to 180 C (about 350 F)
Chop the fennel and kohlrabi and toss in a roasting pan with some oil and seasoning. Roast for 20-30 minutes until softened and starting to crisp on the outside.
While the vegetables are roasting, make the dressing by whisking the ingredients together and set aside.
Boil or steam the green beans. I boil mine in salted water for 3 minutes, then drain and run under cold water to retain the bright color. Put them in the dressing while still warm to ensure they absorb the flavors.
When the fennel and kohlrabi are ready, remove from the oven and toss with the green beans and dressing. You can also add some salad leaves to bulk it out a bit - but avoid strong flavored leaves like rocket as they will overpower the delicate kohlrabi taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.
White Bean Salad with Zucchini and Green Beans
2 cans (15½ ounces each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 pound zucchini (about 2 small), trimmed, quartered lengthwise, and thinly sliced on the diagonal
4 ounces green beans, trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal (3/4 cup)
2 ounces fresh Parmesan cheese, crumbled (½ cup)
½ cup fresh basil leaves, torn
Grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
1 tablespoon olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
In a medium bowl, place cannellini beans, zucchini, green beans, Parmesan, basil, lemon zest and juice, and oil; season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
*************
Every week we will send several recipes that make use of the produce you are receiving in your bag. We also have a significant collection of recipes on our website at http://sbm.osb.org/ministries/common_ground_garden/recipes/. Please send us your own recipes, too--either favorites from your cook books or your own concoctions.
|
|
.
Contact information
commonground@csbsju.edu
Ryan Kutter, Garden Director, cell: 320-219-3389
Kate Ritger, Production Manager, cell: 262-339-7737
|
|
|
|
 Common Ground Garden is a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm, where members purchase a share of vegetables and each week during the farm season receive a bountiful box of fresh produce. We pride ourselves on producing fresh, clean, healthful food picked at the peak of flavor and nutrition. As much as we are able, we grow our vegetables without the use of any chemical herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers. We use cover crops, rotations, compost and ingenuity to produce your food in a way that's healthy for you and for the community. When necessary for pest control or to combat disease, we use only products approved for organic gardening. |
|
|
Common Ground Garden is the ministry of the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict.
104 Chapel Lane
St. Joseph, Minnesota 56374
|
|
|
|
|
