Serenbe Farms
  CSA Newsletter and Recipes 4-3

May 19th, 2009
Farm News from Natalie

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens;
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens;
Brown paper packages tied up with strings;
These are a few of my favorite things....

Sim from Sim's Garden Patch was singing this song as he set up his stall for market on what proved to be a rainy Saturday.  Not only does he have beautiful produce, but he sings nicely too!  I woke up humming that song this morning and thought I would talk about water.  Folks, it has been raining!

We got about a half inch on Saturday.  The rows of earth between our collards, cauliflower, broccoli and other brassicas are quickly shrinking.  (photo: field near the back) The farm smells great and there is quite the palate of green out right now.  Our Thursday push for weeding the squash and watermelon was just in time!

farm melons
(photo: in front)

Signs that rain was coming: the rabbits were hyper, the chicken were broodier than normal and the bees were not flying very far from the hive.  My colleague at the farm in PA told me to watch the ants if it's going to rain or not - they move around a lot before a rainfall, unprovoked.  Unfortunately, I tend to notice them only after I've taken out a section of their roof out by accident and then there is plenty of activity.  It's always about to rain over a red ant hill.    

Although the irrigation was ready to go on last week's planted cucumbers and squashes, nature took care of that.  In the case that there is no rain, we aim for half an inch of water a week.  We irrigate our fields with drip tape and tiny sprinklers hooked into a main line.  Drip tape is a wonderful tool: think black plastic tube with small slashes cut into the tape every 6".  A mainline runs the water to the bed where the drip tape carries the water to every plant along its given row.  The tube rests next to the stem of the plants and delivers the water, drip by drip directly to the root zone.  This method saves a lot of water -- less evaporation and stabilizes the moisture which lessens the plant's stress.  By not getting the leaves wet, it reduces the plant's vulnerability to disease. 

There are still a lot of plants in the greenhouse, twirling their roots around in their cells, waiting for some drier weather.  These include tomatoes, eggplants, thyme, basil, and peppers.  Why do they have to wait?  Because the soil hasn't passed Paige's tractor test.   Paige grabs a fistful of dirt and tosses it into the air and hits it with the palm of her hand.  If the ball does not fall apart when it hits her hand, then bringing the spader through the field would cause more damage than good, so we are waiting.  We hope to get them in the ground before the next round of rain.  More raindrops predicted for Thursday.   

Some highlights of the week:  We had a great group of volunteers out on Wednesday and Thursday.  Thank you Stephanie, Rebecca, Terry, Greg, Zach, and Sarah!  On Friday afternoon we participated in the Montessori school's planting day at the Community Garden in Palmetto.  community garden

It's been a great week and I look forward to seeing those of you in Atlanta at Elisa's. 
Please read on for delicious recipes.

Here's a printing tip:
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This week's share:

1 bunch collards
1 bunch Swiss chard
Kohlrabi or peas
2 heads lettuce
Garlic scapes or onion flowers
2 bulbs green garlic
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch Chinese cabbage
1 head/bunch broccoli
Links
www.serenbefarms.com

www.georgiaorganics.org
Natalie's Bio
blueberry 
I'm Natalie Sevin, the other one of the farm interns.  I am happy to join Brandon, Paige and Justin at Serenbe Farms.  Disclaimer: my family is not related to the Sevin insecticide.  I get a few eyebrow raises in the organic community when I introduce myself. 

I grew up in North Carolina where I graduated from Wake Forest with a degree in anthropology.  I took a developing economics class in Benin summer after my junior year which assured me Peace Corps.  From 2005-2007, I lived in a small village along the Niger River just southeast of Gao, Mali.  I learned a lot about the joys and hardships of farming through my community - most all of the men were either shepherds or rice farmers, farming the Niger River floodplains.

 Upon my return to the states, I became an intern in the research department of the Rodale Institute - learning about cover crops and sustainable land and nutrient  management.  I learned about vegetables when house sitting for a member of the Quiet Valley Creek CSA right next to the Institute.  I wanted to see that research in action, so last year I worked on a CSA in PA.

A little closer to home, this Serenbe internship is rounding out my education both in the field and at home in the kitchen with Brandon.  I like collards now!  After a season with the pros, I hope to embark on my own venture - with dirt under my fingernails. 
Swiss Chard Tuna

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives (about 10)
2 6-ounce cans of tuna, drained
3/4 cup loosely packed chopped Swiss chard stems
1 cup loosely packed chopped Swiss chard leaves
1/4 cup loosely packed chopped fresh parsley, preferably Italian flat leaf
1/2 cup loosely packed chopped scallions, white and green parts (about 5 small)
Salt and pepper
Several medium to large Swiss chard leaves for making wraps or in place of lettuce on sandwiches (optional)

Preparation:

Combine mayo, mustard, and vinegar in small bowl and mix well. Stir in tuna, Swiss chard stems and leaves, parsley, and scallions. Salt and pepper to taste.  Tuna salad will keep for three days in the fridge.
Chinese
Cabbage
Salad
Serves 6

6 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 large crisp red apple, diced
1 medium head Chinese Cabbage
1/3 cup golden raisins
2 green onions or 1 onion flower stalk, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds or sesame sticks

Preparation:

Combine vinegar, sugar, oil and ginger in large bowl; stir until sugar dissolves. Stir in apple.

Add cabbage, raisins, onions, cilantro, and sesame seeds; gently stir until well combined. 

This is also a great make-ahead dish: cover, refrigerates overnight, and the cabbage softens slightly and the tangy flavors blend even more.

Braised
Collards
and
Bacon
Serves 2

4 strips of bacon
2 pinches of salt
Bunch of collards

Rib collards, stack several leaves together, roll them into a taco and cut 1" strips.  Clean well. 

In a pan, fry up the bacon until it is crispy, drain off the oil but leave 1T of grease in the pan - add water, salt, collards - cook until they soft ~20 minutes.  Crumble bacon on top and serve.