this week's
HARVEST
Rushton Farm Bag
This list may change, but here's our best guess of what you'll be getting in your share this week.

 

 

                                                       

Baby Kale  

Eggplant

Garlic 

Leeks 

Onions

Pac Choi 

Peppers                

Potatoes

Salad Mix 

Sweet Potatoes

 

Tomato Tasting Table


2014 CSA MANUAL
Just about everything you need to know about the Rushton Farm CSA is located HERE!
CSA manual

  
Upcoming Events

KEEP US IN THE LOOP!

 

Email is our primary means of communicating all CSA matters, so please contact us if your address changes, or if you'd like a family member's address to be added to the CSA mailing list.   

WHEREABOUTS
RQP sign
Rushton Farm is located within the 85-acre Rushton Woods Preserve on Delchester Road, just south of Goshen Road in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.  

 
Fred 
Noah 
Chelsea 
Jessie
Larkin
ARCHIVES
See prior email communications from Willistown Conservation Trust, including recipes and past issues of the Wild Carrot.Go to the archive.   

Week of September 30, 2014 - Issue No. 19

IN THE BAG tidbits from Fred

 

There are very few places in this country that have the rich farming legacy that Chester County has. Take a drive through the countryside and you will see small farms dotted amongst the rolling hills with rich fertile fields producing a bountiful harvest of fruits and vegetables. These farms showcase the beauty of the Pennsylvania landscape and are an important part of the fabric that makes up the community that resides here. These same farms have been integral in not only providing food for sale to community members but also for providing food for the less fortunate by donating to local food shelters.

 

Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers' fields after they have been harvested. Through the course of a season the produce left in the field can be a generous amount. Throughout the season Rushton Farm Staff and community members gather leftover crops to be donated to local food banks. The work only lasts a couple of hours but the reward is great. There is nothing quite as gratifying as picking nutritious food alongside friends knowing that it will go to those who truly need it.

 

After the food is harvested it is taken to the wash area to be cleaned sorted and packed for donation. Volunteers gather the food and take it to the West Chester Food Cupboard or the Chester County Food Bank where it is weighed and stored to be distributed to community members.

 

The success of the gleaning program lead to the creation of a garden solely dedicated to providing food for the Chester County Food Bank. In 2012 Henry's Garden was established in memory of Henry Jordan whose commitment to addressing issues of poverty and access to nutritious food brought him to the Advisory Board of the Chester County Food Bank.

 

Henry's Garden is designed to be a smaller version of Rushton Farm where community members, school groups and volunteers can come out and learn how even a backyard garden can supply hundreds of pounds of fresh, chemical-free, local produce- yielding both nutritional and educational benefits to the community. All food is grown and harvested by volunteers.

   

In the six years since Rushton Farm was established over 10,000 lbs of food has been donated to area food shelters through Willistown Conservation Trust's "Share the Bounty" program. Hundreds of volunteers have helped to make this possible and each year more volunteers become involved. It is a great way to learn about land protection, sustainable agriculture and the value of food donation. For more information on the Share the Bounty program contact Fred de Long at [email protected]. A CBS news story on the West Chester Food Cupboard can be seen at;

cbslocal.com

 

 -Fred  
RECIPES
what to do with all those veggies   


 

While in Mallorca a few years back I came to love a regional dish known as Tumbet. It is similar to French ratatouille or Spanish pisto consisting of saut�ed eggplant, potatoes and bell peppers in a fresh tomato sauce. I have recreated it several times since my return and I find this to be my favorite recipe.
 
Tumbet   
 

Ingredients

  • 8 small potatoes or 4 large ones, sliced thin
  • 5 large garlic cloves, skins on
  • 1 large onion, cut into thick strips
  • 1 small zucchini, sliced
  • 1 long green pepper (Italian), cut into strips
  • 1 small eggplant, sliced
  • 1 small red pepper, cut into strips
  • Homemade tomato sauce (or good quality store bought)
  • Flour
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Sea salt
 

Preparation

  1. Wash and cut the vegetables as described above.
  2. Heat an inch of extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan.
  3. Fry the garlic cloves (skins on) to flavor the oil. Remove the garlic after a couple of minutes and reserve.
  4. You are going to fry the rest of the vegetables, one by one, then drain excess oil on paper towels (so have them ready) Start with the zucchini slices, which will fry for about 3 minutes. Remove onto paper towels and sprinkle with a bit of salt.
  5. Next fry the potatoes. These will take 5-10 minutes to fully cook. Remove when golden brown and cooked through.
  6. The peppers can fry together, for about 5 minutes.
  7. Fry the onions for about 2 minutes. Make sure you are resting everything on paper towels after frying!
  8. Finally, dredge the eggplant slices in flour and fry for about 4 minutes, until browned and crispy.
  9. Now assemble the tumbet, which is similar to making a lasagna.
  10. Start with a layer of tomato sauce, then eggplant, zucchini, onion, pepper, and potato. Top with another layer of sauce, and a sprinkle of sea salt.
  11. Bake for 25 minutes at 350�

 

Spanish Sabores: Lauren Aloise

 
  

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About Us

  

Rushton Farm is part of Willistown Conservation Trust's Community Farm Program.  donate nowWillistown  Conservation Trust is a non-profit organization working to preserve and manage the open land, rural character, scenic, recreational, historic, agricultural and natural resources of the Willistown area and nearby communities, and to share these unique resources with people of all ages and backgrounds to inspire, educate and develop a lifelong commitment to the land and the natural world.
 
To learn more or to find out how you can get involved visit

  

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