We are so excited to have our first order in for the Organic Co-op!  Pick up will be during the Farmer's Market this Saturday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Here's what we have in our box this week: green beans, green peppers, Bunny table carrots, cucumbers, white Colossal garlic, collard greens, green kale, spinach, white mushrooms, sweet jumbo onions, russet potatoes, Pink Lady apples, Hass avocados, Mandarin Satsumas (Clementines), Bosc pears, bananas, and Sungold cherry tomatoes.  The only think missing for the ultimate salad is Anthony's just-picked hierloom salad greens and his sweet and mild Milan and Tokyo turnips. Also, don't forget Sunday breakfast with Berkshire Pork bacon, Yvonne's fresh eggs, Sunny's Cherry Amour granola and The Garden Lady's decadent muffins. Yum ... see you there!

Co-op Box Spotlight: Kale

 "What is kale and why would I want to eat it?"

I, too, used to be afraid of kale. But with a little bit of research and some help from my foodie friends, it has easily slipped into my diet. Most people bypass kale in the supermarket because they don't know quite what to do with it (except daintily remove it away from their bacon double cheeseburger). Let me introduce you to this highly underrated super-food.

Kale is a green leafy vegetable that belongs to the Brassica family, along with its cousins cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and collard greens - all well-known for their medicinal and health promoting qualities. Kale helps boost the immune system with its high levels of vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, and chlorophyll. It has seven times the beta carotene of broccoli and contains more calcium per ounce than milk. Fight off illness this season with the King of Greens!

"But what do I do with it?"

Following are three easy recipes on how to prepare kale. Remember to wash the kale thoroughly, then fold the the leaves in half like a book and strip them off the stems. 

Roasted Kale with Sea Salt

4 cups firmly-packed kale

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp sea salt
Parmesan cheese as garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss torn 3" pieces of washed and stripped kale in extra virgin olive oil. Roast for five minutes. Turn kale over. Roast another 7 to 10 minutes until kale turns brown and becomes paper thin and brittle. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt and Parmesan (optional). Serve immediately.
 
Sesame Kale Salad 

1 pound fresh kale
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds (crush to a powder)
1 clove garlic minced
2 tsp honey
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
black and red pepper to taste

Seperate kale leaves from stems. chop stems and greens into small pieces. Steam the stems 2 to 3 minutes, then add the greens and steam until just tender. Let cool, then squeeze out as much water as possible. Mix the dressing ingredients together and refrigerate until you're ready to toss with the dressing and serve. May also be served warm.

As we get closer to the holiday season and look back on our 2009 accomplishments, we want to thank everyone for taking the time to read our newsletters and following us on all our progress and work. This year we started our new Farm Camps, we participated in our first Farmer's Market which led to the creation of our very own Farmer's Market here on the farm, we finished our Meeting Room and created our Shared Kitchen, we improved the amenities of our Birthday Parties, we started the raising of chickens and built our first chicken tractor, and gained experience in dairy goat milking and cheese making. Our garden is now year round, we are almost finished with our outdoor kitchen, we hosted many educational, fun workshops, and the list just goes on and on. There is so much that we are grateful for, and we are now planning even more exciting events for next year. We sincerely hope for the many of you that visited our farm that it was a good experience, and hope to continue to bring you all the benefits farm life has to offer. We wish everyone a wonderful holiday season, filled with bounty of Blessings, Health and Love.

 

Sincerely,

 

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