Greetings!

Flax: Our History of Sustainable Growth 

By Sienna Kuhn

 (Sienna Dubbeldee Kuhn is a CSB 2012 Art Alumni currently working as the post-graduate artist in residence in the areas of handmade paper, photography and painting.)

Community, one of the many Benedictine values from the Rule of St. Benedict, is one of the most crucial aspects for sharing stories that connect us with the past and the present. This flax project is one that wouldn't be possible without the college and monastic communities and the rich history that surrounds us.

 Last June a crop of non-food species flax seeds was once again sown on the campus of the  College of Saint Benedict/Saint Benedict's Monastery. Flax is a sustainable plant that is most commonly used for weaving linen or for its edible nutritional value. In the early 1900's the Sisters grew, harvested, and prepared flax for weaving linen into towels, doilies, and table runners. They even made the altar cloths for the Sacred Heart Chapel. Each year they would harvest enough flax fiber for 75 yards of linen depending on the soil and weather conditions. Flax hadn't been grown here again since 1944.      

In 2009, Mark Conway and the Literary Art Institute (LAI) made a goal of creating a paper that could be sustainably grown and represented the campuses. To make this happen LAI funded a research grant for student, Ellory Eggermont, 2011 Alumni Art and Environmental Major, to experiment with grasses and natural materials found in the campus's prairies to create a blend of hand-made paper. After testing many different combinations she found that Big Blue Stem, a native prairie grass and Reed Canary Grass, a rather invasive species worked well together. In the making of handmade paper, it is important to include a very strong fiber to the mixture to hold it all together and create a durable writing surface. The two fibers that are best for this are cotton and flax. Ellory chose flax because it lightened up the paper, made it durable, and was a part of the history of our campus. Including flax also made it a true blend of the Sisters' history and the prairie in the Arboretum where the two grasses were collected.

Now that a paper has been created, ways of incorporating it in the community and colleges are being explored. One consideration is sending acceptance letters from the College of Saint Benedict and St. John's University on the signature handmade paper to prospective students.

To make it even more sustainable, Scott Murphy, an CSB/SJU art professor, tracked down a certain variety of flax from Pennsylvania and collaborated with Kate Ritger from Common Ground Garden to grow an approximately 7x15 foot plot for it to seed and flourish. This is a small start in comparison to the 200 ft by 100 ft plot the Sisters grew and harvested. Throughout the summer it has been cared for by Common Ground gardeners and community members, myself included. This fall it will be harvested and dried so it may undergo the time- consuming but rewarding process of becoming paper.

In 2009 the goal began and each year we are getting closer to creating and using our own sustainably grown paper. This summer was another huge stepping stone by learning how to grow and harvest the flax. It could not have been done without the help of community and the touching desire to honor the Sisters who started it all.

We will be harvesting the flax on Tuesday, September 18, during the garden's evening hours: 5-7 p.m. Join us!

Join Tim Kuebelbeck to be part of the chicken butchering process and go home with a free bird ready for stuffing and roasting.  We'll start at 9 a.m. These are the birds who have been laying eggs for us all season.  

Thanks, Tim!

From the Catholic Worker

Join us for weekly dinner and prayer: 6:30 dinner, 7 p.m. prayer. All are welcome. Learn more about the community at www.centralmncw.org.  

Bring your Veggie Bingo winners for garden tie-dying with all natural, veggie dye! We will do the dying on Thursday, September 20, 4:30 p.m. Bring a shirt or pair of socks to dye. Pick up your items the following week. All are welcome!

From the archives... don't forget all of the great recipes archived on our website.

Moussaka-style stuffed eggplant

from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics

shared by Kate Ritger

2 eggplants (1 to 1¼ pounds each)

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup chopped onions

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

½ tsp ground cloves

¾ tsp ground cumin

¾ tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of cayenne

1¾ cups canned tomatoes with juice (14.5 ounce can) - heck, we've got them fresh!

1 cup chopped bell peppers

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

1 cup bread crumbs (pulverize stale or lightly toasted whole wheat, sourdough, or French bread,

or crackers in a blender, food processor or bowl)

1 ¾ cups ricotta cheese (15 ounces)

2 egg whites

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a baking tray.

Slice the eggplants in half lengthwise. Score the flesh of each half with a paring knife, being careful not to pierce the skin. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh and leave about a ½ inch thick shell. Reserve the flesh to use in the filling. Brush the eggplant shells with 1 tbsp of the oil and sprinkle them lightly with salt. Place face up on the prepared baking tray and bake for about 20 minutes, until very tender.  

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a nonreactive saucepan. Sauté the onions until translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, cloves, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne and continue to sauté for about minute. Cut the reserved eggplant flesh into small cubes and add them. Sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomatoes, bell peppers, and mushrooms. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and mix in the salt, black pepper, bread crumbs, and ¾ cup of the ricotta cheese. Set the filling aside.  

When the eggplant shells are done, remove them from the oven and reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until they are stiff and fold them into the remaining cup of ricotta cheese. Fill each shell with 1¼ cups of the vegetable filling. Evenly cover with the ricotta custard and then the grated cheese. Return the baking tray of stuffed eggplant.

Daikon Patties

1 1/2 cups grated daikon radish

2 teaspoons salt

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon chile-garlic sauce (such as Sriracha®)

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil for frying

Place the daikon in a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Drain daikon. Stir in the garlic, onion, egg, bread crumbs, pepper, paprika, and chili garlic sauce. Mix well. Form into 8, small round patties.

Pour oil into a large skillet. Heat over medium heat. Fry patties in the hot oil until firm and nicely brown, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.

Warm Potato Salad with Celery

from Italian Country Cooking by Loukie Werle

2 lbs floury (yukon gold or russet) potatoes, scrubbed and halved or quartered

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley

tender and pale inner stalks of 1 head celery, with leaves, chopped  

Cover the potatoes in a pan with water. Bring to a boil, add salt then cook over moderate heat until potatoes are just tender, 20-30 minutes, depending on size. Drain and cool a few minutes. Peel and cut into bite-sized pieces. While potatoes are still warm, toss them in a bowl with oil, parsley and celery. Season with salt and plenty of pepper. Serve immediately.

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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 cookbooks or your own concoctions.

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Common Ground Garden is the ministry of the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict

104 Chapel Lane
St. Joseph, Minnesota 56374