CSA Newsletter and Recipes 4-1
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Farm News from Paige
 Greetings 2009 CSA members! It is my pleasure to write to you today, the opening of the farm CSA season. I welcome you all to the farm and it's bounty...you, are eaters, are what makes this farm successful. What a lovely day of harvesting. Believe it or not, with the wet weather and the crazy storms we had early in the spring, we hadn't actually had a real harvest day until today. I'm amazed at how seamless and easy it was to get back into the swing of it. It also helps that we have an all star crew, Natalie, Brandon, and Justin.
I hope that you find delight in the many greens and roots in today's share. It was a fun task picking out which greens would find their way into your bellies for this week. The farm has exploded in green since the weekend rains and looked very inviting as we scampered off with our empty bins to fill.  This marks my first newsletter of my fourth season here at Serenbe Farms. My oh my, the time really does fly. One of my farming mentors told me that finally during his fourth year on his farm he felt an inner calm, that the systems that he'd worked so hard to instill actually started working out. If this holds true, my friends, I think this season will be a treat. We've got great plans for the future and after the little bout of unfortunate winter and spring weather we're now on Mother Nature's good side once again. These farm newsletters will arrive to you through email each week that you receive a share. Our goal is to fill you in on what's happening around the farm, share insights into our daily work, and help you with preparation and storage techniques for your veggies. Occasionally we'll also share with you evidence of the environmental, ethical, social, and health benefits of eating seasonally, locally, and organically. CSA is my favorite way to distribute our produce as it creates a direct connection between us, your farmers, and you, our direct consumer. Thanks for being a part of it all! |
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Greens, OH Greens!
You'll find in your shares a bounty of fresh green leafy veggies. Please don't be alarmed, many of these greens are delicious, unique in flavor, and easy to prepare. A basic rule of thumb for me is if it's big and tough, cook it, if it's small and tender, eat it raw.
Here are some of the greens you can expect to see in today's share and in the next few weeks. And, don't worry; we'll have more than just greens for the next few harvests, and soon after that many of the fruits of summer. Enjoy these while you can (and get creative, freeze them for a summer green craving)!
All can be eaten raw, stir fried, sautéed, steamed, eaten in a salad, fried, baked in a casserole, braised, grilled, blanched, braised, juiced, etc. I've even heard of baking kale chips.
I like to combine my favorite fats (coconut oil, olive oil, butter), vinegars, and spices with many of my sauteed green dishes.
List of greens you'll see in our shares over the next few weeks
Collard Greens
Swiss Chard (also known as leaf beet)
Bok Choi
Kale (several varieties)
Braising mix (a green mix, this week: mustard, kale, chard, and Asian greens)
Mustard greens
Broccoli Raab (sweet and spicy)
Spinach
Arugula
Lettuce
Chinese Cabbage
Turnip tops and turnip greens
Radish tops (yep, eat them too!)
Beet tops
A note about washing: While the food you are eating is certified organic and pesticide and chemical free; you will occasionally find dirt, debris, and a rare bug when you prepare your food. Most of the washing that we do is hydro cooling
the greens (sealing in moisture and keeping them fresh) and removing surface dirt. So, please wash your greens again before enjoying.
I also recommend that you process your greens right when you take it home. This will make preparation throughout the week much easier as your produce will be fresh, clean, and it will keep longer. I really like storing greens wrapped up in a kitchen towel then placed in a plastic bag. This lets the greens breathe and keeps them at the right moisture content.
I hope everyone had a chance to read the CSA manual. Please do remember to keep on bringing us your used grocery bags; we'll take them all! And, save your vegetable trim to bring back to the farm's compost pile. We're greatly appreciative!
Cheers, and happy eating!
Farmer Paige and our stellar team: Brandon, Natalie, and Justin
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This week's share:
1 bunch leeks
1 bunch collards
1 bag spinach
1/4 lb lettuce mix
1/4 lb braising mix
2 onion flower stalks
1 or 2 kohlrabi
1 bunch radishes
1 bunch herbs
PYO violas
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Links
www.serenbefarms.com
Our website is having some technical issues. My apologies, they should be resolved soon.
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Farmer Paige's Bio
Many of you were members of the CSA program last year, but for those that are new, let me introduce myself.
I'm Paige Witherington, the farm manager here at Serenbe. I began managing Serenbe Farms in 2006. This is my 7th season farming.
The first time that I volunteered on a farm, I learned so much, and I was amazed that the most delicious lettuce that I was enjoying for dinner was a product of my diligent work.
I discovered my love for farming in Montana, spent 2 years in the red clay soils of Clemson, SC, and learned for 2 years more in the beautiful dark (and super rocky) topsoil of the Hudson Valley region of New York.
After graduation from Clemson University in Biosystems Engineering, I decided I didn't want to be an engineer, I wanted to create solutions by developing local food systems.
I'm really happy to be in the South where we need more small sustainable farms and have such a suitable climate for growing. I'm also very happy to have a supportive community, Serenbe and beyond. | |
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Stir Fried
Bok
Choi
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Ingredients:
1 bunch Bok choi
1 onion flower stalk, diced into ¼" chunks
2 slices ginger, diced
2 tablespoons soy sauce or Bragg's liquid aminos
1/4 cup water
A few drops sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons frying oil (coconut, vegetable, canola) for stir-frying
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Preparation:
Wash Bok choi and drain. Separate the stalks and leaves. Cut the stalk diagonally and cut the leaves across.
Heat wok or large frying pan and add oil. When oil is ready, add ginger, and onion flower and stir-fry briefly, for about 1 minute, until the ginger is aromatic.
Add the Bok choi, adding the stalks first, cooking for a minute or two, and then the leaves. Stir in the soy sauce (or Bragg's), and salt, and stir-fry on high heat until wilty and still bright green.
Add the water, cover the wok and simmer for about 2 minutes. Stir in the sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds and serve.
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Onion
Flower
Fritters
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Serves 4 as appetizer or side dish
Ingredients:
2 stalks tall onion flowers or 1 bunch small onion flowers
4 eggs
1 T milk (optional)
1-cup whole wheat flour (or more as needed)
1-cup cornmeal
1 T salt
1 T misc. herbs (oregano, dill, cumin, thyme, etc.)
2 t black pepper
2-3 cups frying oil (coconut or canola oil)
Preparation:
Slice and dice the onion flowers into 1/2" chunks (use the whole stalk up to the flower head).
Crack eggs into another medium sized bowl and whisk (add milk for fluffiness if desired).
Mix together cornmeal and flour with herbs, salt and pepper.
Add a small handful of onion flower into the eggs, coat with egg, and drop into dry flour mix.
Heat oil to fry and add dollops of fritter mix into the frying pan. Fry until golden brown and salt to taste.
Enjoy! Also, for unique presentation, garnish with the tops! |
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Quick
Massaged
Collard
Salad |
Ah the power of raw foods! This could work for any green.
Ingredients Per Serving:
A handful of fresh collard greens, stems sliced out and discarded/composted, leaves rolled into cigars and then sliced cross-wise into ribbons
1 teaspoon good quality olive oil
Salt
Pepper or lemon pepper
Splash of apple cider vinegar (I just learned: apple cider is a basic vinegar...as in not acidic like most of the foods we consume)
Preparation (the best part...great for kids!):
Start massaging your collard ribbons. You'll want to squeeze with each kneading motion of your collards. You'll notice that the collards start to look a bit more wilted and a darker color, similar to how they look cooked, this is because you're breaking the cell walls. Massage them for 3-5 minutes, adding pinches of salt to taste as you knead.
Add any of the following to the collard salad (use your imagination):
Citrus
Hard-boiled egg, sliced
Nuts
Cheese crumbles
Slices of radish, turnips, onion flowers, or leeks
Enjoy! |
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