CSA Newsletter and Recipes 4-14
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Farm News and Recipes from Paige and John (recipes below)
I hate to say, but this week's newsletter is going to be a bit of a ramble. Feel free to skip down to super star volunteer John's much more cognitive essay beneath.
My brain feels like jelly because of the busy harvest day and from doing way too much addition and division (without a calculator mind you), my body is sore from lifting bins of tomatoes and an intense bouldering session Saturday evening, and my index finger is bruised and swollen because I slammed in the tailgate of my station wagon this morning. Yes, I know, that was dumb, but it's hard to see when the sun's not yet out...and even worse, it was stuck in there for what seemed like minutes (until Justin came with
the keys). Thanks Justin.
My whining aside, I'd much rather complain about lifting heavy bins than complain about having no full bins at all. And, yes, we're blessed with many full bins. I hope you enjoy the bounty in today's share!
If I had the time and you had the patience, I'd talk about our fall planting schedule and how we're getting geared up for a new season. I'd also mention that we just today broke 20,000 lbs of produce harvested this year (ahead of all the year's past). I might talk about the first real rain we've seen since spring and how it's both a blessing and a curse (depending on whether your rooting for summer or for fall veggies). And, I'd love to mention the widespread tomato blight throughout the Eastern states courtesy of big box retail stores and ole man weather. But, there's no time for that especially if I'm to make it to CSA distribution on time.
My simple aim today is to inform you about some of the things that you'll find in the shares (details thanks to: wikepedia, heartandhealth.blogspot.com, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden).
In (and what will be in) the boxes: You may have noticed some strange things in the shares lately.
 Dirty garlic cloves? "Why not the beautiful, plump snow white bulbs we've gotten in year's past," you may ask. Well truthfully, I jinxed us. I started bragging a little about our ability to grow fantastic garlic here at Serenbe Farms. I bragged because, well, it was true. The last 3 years I've been here, we've had larger than grocery store sized garlic with wonderful keeping ability and excellent taste. It was a major source of pride.
This year our crop rotation governed that the garlic go in our super clayey still slightly unbalanced front field. Everyone knows when you mix clay with water you get muck and I know that if you try to grow garlic in muck you'll have no luck. This spring it rained more than usual and Ron Engeland in "Growing Great Garlic" commands that you kill irrigation to your garlic a good 2 weeks before harvest to ensure bulb quality. It just so happened that we ended up getting over 4 inches of rain in those 2 weeks. The garlic was ready and we couldn't do anything about it. So, the bulbs split open with all the moisture and we decided that garlic as individual cloves is better than no garlic at all.
Why the dirt? Well frankly, it would take much longer than we have hours in a week to peel all the dried soil from the indiviual cloves. So please forgive us for this extra mess and enjoy the still intact garlic flavor you'll find in each morsel.
Sweet potato leaves? Really? Aren't they poisonous or something?
No, definitely not. In fact, they are quite delicious. I've heard comparisons to stinging nettles, Swiss chard, and even the sweet potato root itself. I'm certain that any way you cook them you'll find different flavors. Brandon wrote about these a couple weeks ago, but in case you missed his article, here you go:
-They are commonly eaten in African and Asian cuisine.
-Tender-leaved like baby kale or lamb's quarters, sweet potato greens need about five, seven minutes of cooking time, just enough to wilt them and let them talk to the aromatics in the pan. They are faintly sweet, not bitter like turnip or mustard greens, and they work beautifully with a quick mix of onions, garlic, chile or jalapeno, ginger, cumin, or any curry spices.
-Sweet potato leaves contain dietary fiber, lipid, and essential minerals and nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfur, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, aluminum and boron. They are also important sources of vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and ascorbic acid. The leaves are high in protein - making them perfect for vegetarians.
-Sweet potato tops are excellent sources of antioxidants, mainly polyphenolics, which may protect the human body from many diseases including cancer and cardiovascular diseases. There are also many anecdotal testimonies that the sweet potato tops are the cure for dengue fever (infammatory, hemmoragic fever caused by a specie of mosquito common in Asia).
And why are they dirty too? Sweet potato greens don't store well, in fact we make sure and always harvest them the same day that they go home with you. I've tried washing them before and shortly afterwards they turn brownish and mushy. We figure you'll be washing everything you get from the CSA share anyway, so why jeopardize the storage capabilities...
 That pretty red stemmed juicy green? Welcome to heat loving Malabar spinach (not a real spinach...only a very distant relative).
-Typical of leaf vegetables, it is high in vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and calcium. It is low in calories by volume, and high in protein per calorie. The succulent mucilage is a particularly rich source of soluble fiber, thought to remove mucus and toxins from the body.
-The succulent leaves may be eaten raw in salads, boiled, steamed, stir-fried, or added to soups, stews, tofu dishes, and curries. Or you can use them as a filling for quiche, omelets, savory turnovers, and potpies. Malabar spinach may be used to thicken soups or stir-fried with garlic and chile peppers.
And how about what's not in the shares? Many of you have asked about okra and eggplant. I do remind all you full shares, that we're not even halfway done with our season. I recall many a survey that claimed "way too much eggplant and okra". So we heeded your advice and decided to plant them in less quantity and later in the season to fill the gap between summer and fall. We are harvesting okra in miniscule quantities, but no fear, it will be in as much abundance as the August drops of sweat are on my brow.
And finally, for some housekeeping...I plan to send you all mid-season surveys soon. Our goal here is to learn what we're not doing well and how we can fix it (or what you really like) and to hear your comments on our vegetable selections. I take the surveys very seriously and use them to govern my crop plans for the fall and the following season. Your collective opinion weighs the most out of all of our eaters and outlets of sale. CSA is my passion and I love to have happy customers, so please keep the input coming (whether on the survey or informally).
AND! Spring/summer shares, registration is now open to you for the fall share program. Find our registration form at www.serenbefarms.com.
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John's turn! Definitely read this one...
Howdy. My name is John Davis and I volunteer on the Serenbe farm a couple days
per week. I am a Masters of Arts in Theology student at Columbia Seminary in
Decatur and had approached Paige about working on the farm over the summer in
order to learn some of the 'ins' and 'outs' of sustainable agriculture. Knowing
that Serenbe is on the cutting edge of sustainability and organic farming
techniques, and is well respected amongst local growers and beyond, I thought
that it would be an exceptional place to learn a bit about organic growing.
Thankfully, Paige has allowed me to work on the farm two to three days a week so
that I may soak up her and the intern's infinite farming wisdom. The farming
experience at Serenbe has been grand. Being on the farm has allowed me to learn
about and do harvesting, pruning, bug squishing (my favorite name), soil mixing,
cover cropping, and many more tasks pertaining to a wide variety of vegetables.
I'm enjoying eating the beautiful plethora of tomatoes that
are ripening on the vines right now (and sometimes we do as we're walking by the
vines)! I must not leave out the task of weeding (yeah weeding!) since the
frequency in which we perform this task indicates it as an integral part of the
organic farming process. Luckily, it is one of my favorite things to do!
As for a little about myself... I am getting a degree in theological
ethics that focuses on sustainable agriculture and social justice. Currently, I
am redeveloping the garden at Columbia in the hopes that we can start a
community garden there aimed at supporting local food banks. After completion
of the degree, I would also like to start a non-profit urban farm in or near
Atlanta that would aim at getting local organic food to low-income families.
You may be wondering "John, what does sustainable agriculture have to do with
Christian Ethics?" An excellent query, I'm glad you asked. To put it as
succinctly as possible, I believe that our land is a gift. Not just a gift, but
in a sense, the supreme gift. I believe we are responsible and accountable for
the stewardship of 'the land,' and that, really, all we are and do comes from
and returns to this. Sustainable agriculture and the support that it receives,
as I see it, is one of the best ways we can be responsible stewards of the land
while developing and supporting a healthy overall community. I also think it
happens to be the most positively impacting way to improve our larger community
(the country) since it combats major public health challenges, reduces
consumption of oil, and helps to reduce climate change, just to name a few of
the benefits. So, thank you for being responsible consumers who support the
farm and enjoy good healthy food! I hope I see you around the farm some time.
If you'd like to contact John, his email is davisjap@hotmail.com.
Thanks for the awesome article John!
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This week's share:
Malabar spincah or Sweet potato leaves
5 lb tomatoes!!
3/4 lb cherry toms
3-4 hot peppers
1 bu edamame
1 bag fingerlings
5 peppers or 2 squash
1 bu basil
1 bu 'other' herb
PYO 12 stems
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Yoga at Serenbe with Farms Volunteer Stephanie Pearce
Yoga at Serenbe
Tuesdays, 12:00 to 1:15
Serenbe Institute
(just below Harris & Clark Grocery)
What to bring with you:
sticky yoga mat, water bottle, wear loose comfortable clothing that will not restrict your breath or movement, experiential attitude
Classes are Drop-in. Serenbe residents $10.00; Non-residents $12.00. If you
have a family of 4 or more, then each additional person will be $8.00.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Namaste,
Stephanie Pearce, instructor
678-772-5192
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We're on Facebook!!
Become a fan of Serenbe Farms on Facebook (www.facebook.com).
You must have a page to become a fan of SF. Search for Serenbe Farms and you'll find our page.
I'd love to see the site grow as a place for CSA members to discuss the produce, recipes, and other food topics.
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Important Tidbits
--Always remember to wash your veggies. No chemical residues I assure you, but you may find bug residues or dirt.
--Sign up now for our fall share option! Begins when the summer share leaves off in late September. It continues until December and is sure to be filled with exciting veggies. Tell your friends!
--Volunteer on the farm!
Thursdays are volunteer days so come on down and get dirty (and maybe even learn a thing or 2)!
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Ad Hoc Sweet Potato Greens
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Ingredients
vegetable oil of choice for sauteeing
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 hot pepper of choice, seeded and minced
1/4 pound sweet potato greens, thoroughly rinsed, stems removed
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
Method
Heat a skillet over medium heat and add enough oil to coat surface of
pan. Add garlic, onion and chile, and allow to soften, about three-five
minutes, making sure that vegetables don't burn.
Add greens, and with tongs, toss and coat well with aromatics. Allow
to cook for at least five minutes, until greens wilt and soften. Add
soy sauce just before serving.
Makes two-three side-dish servings.
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Sweet Potato Green Salad
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 1 bunch (around 300 gms) Sweet potato (Camote) Tops, washed, cut into bite sized pieces
4 large tomatoes, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/3 C rice vinegar (I used brown rice vinegar)
1 T sugar (or more if you prefer a bit sweeter taste)
salt and pepper to taste
1. Blanch the leaves in boiling water. Drain. Immerse in cold water bath. Drain again.
2. Mix the rice vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper together.
3. Arrange the sweet potato leaves on a platter. Top with tomatoes and onions. Drizzle with the vinegar-sugar mixture.
This is the basic salad recipe. For variation, we can add fruits such as mangoes, avocadoes or watermelon cubes.
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Roasted
Garlic and Tomato Mostaccioli
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 2 1/2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil 4 to 5 Roma or small tomatoes, cut in half 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled 1 cup uncooked mostaccioli or penne pasta (3 ounces) 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves 2 ounces crumbled feta or cubed mozzarella cheese
Heat
oven to 300ºF. Place aluminum foil on cookie sheet; generously brush
with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Arrange tomato halves, cut sides up, in
single layer on foil; brush with 2 teaspoons of the oil. Sprinkile with
sugar, salt and pepper. Cut
1/2 inch off top of garlic bulb; drizzle 1 teaspoon of the oil over
garlic bulb. Wrap in aluminum foil; place on cookie sheet with
tomatoes. Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until garlic is soft when pierced
with a knife and tomatoes have begun to shrivel; cool slightly. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package. Squeeze
garlic into remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and mash until smooth; toss
with pasta. Add tomato halves and basil; toss. Top with cheese. Serve
immediately.
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Edamame
2 ways
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ABC! Get all 3 vitamins in this nutrient packed great snack. And engage your kids...picking pods can be fun!
In case you haven't figured out this basic, awesome way to prepare them:
Boiled Edamame
1 bunch edamame, pods only
1 T salt for boiling
1 T salt for dipping/sprinkling or 2 T soy sauce/tamari for dipping
Take the pods off the stalk. Boil water with salt, add edamame for about 3-4 minutes until tender and they turn bright green. Drain, cool and enjoy!
 Edamame Hummus
1 bunch edamame, boiled (see above) and shelled
1/4 cup tahini (seasame seed paste)
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated
lemon
zest
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed
lemon juice
1 clove
garlic,
smashed
3/4 teaspoon coarse
salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
3 tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
In a food processor, puree the edamame, tahini, water, lemon zest, lemon juice,
garlic, salt, cumin, and coriander until smooth. With the motor running, slowly
drizzle in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and mix until absorbed.
Transfer to a small bowl, stir in the parsley and drizzle with remaining oil 1
tablespoon of olive oil. You can also garnish with some sesame seeds.
Serve with fresh vegetables or pita bread.
Makes about 3 cups.
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