CSA Newsletter and Recipes 4-3
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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! (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.
It's
been a great week and I look forward to seeing those of you in Atlanta at
Elisa's.
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Please read on for delicious recipes.
Here's a printing tip: -To print just the recipes, highlight what you'd like to print. When you click 'print...' in the drop down menu, a box will pop up. Click 'selection only'. This will print just what you've highlighted. -Another option: copy the recipes you like and paste them into your word processor.
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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
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Natalie's Bio
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.
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Swiss
Chard Tuna
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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.
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Chinese Cabbage Salad
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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.
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Braised Collards and Bacon
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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.
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