Check out the Urban Farm Bike Tour!

September 19th, 2010, approximately 8 am to 4 pm.
There will be two rides: the longer is 28 miles, and the shorter is 14 miles. Each ride will visit several of the city’s many urban farms.
Henry Got Crops! is on both rides.

For more information and to register, visit: http://weaversway.coop/index.php?page=july_bike_tour.

Happy Fall!

By Nicole Sugerman

Okay, it’s not officially fall yet—but it sure does feel like it here on the farm. The students are back, in their second week of the school year- the energy is busy and exciting. All 500 of our winter squash are curing in the hoophouse, sealing up their cuts and getting sweeter so we can store them and give them out to you all throughout the fall. We are busily planting out our very last field crops- baby greens (mesculun, arugula, lettuce, and spinach), bok choy, lettuce heads, and radishes- and beginning to plant our kale and chard in the hoophouse, where it will (hopefully) be able to survive through the winter, using passive heat from the sun that is magnified and then trapped in a plastic structure.
The recent cool weather has been enjoyable for the crew, although it’s making our summer crops slow drastically in production. We have gone from harvesting 140 pounds of peppers in one day to harvesting 20! But fall favorites are here or just around the corner- enjoy the refreshing tang of our first radishes, and anticipate the near arrival of greens, bok choy, kohlrabi, and more. I appreciate my newfound interest in eating warm oatmeal in the mornings, a food previously unappetizing when the mornings were hot. We have started to wear our flannel, and it’s dark when we bike home on share pickup days.
We would like to welcome Simon to our full-time crew. Simon will be with us for the next five weeks as a fall intern. He is in Philadelphia for the fall, but lives in Germany, where he studies agriculture. Welcome, Simon!

A Guide to Storing Roots

To keep your root vegetables crisp and firm, remove their leafy tops before storing in your refrigerator. You can use the tops, however! Carrot tops are great in soup stock. Beet greens are delicious sautéed or braised, as are turnip tops and radish greens. See next page for some recipe ideas for root vegetable greens.

Zuccini Splinters

Thanks to Shareholder Clare for the following recipe!

Recipe from an "Electro-Sun: Food Dehydrator” instruction booklet:

Toast sesame seeds to a light golden brown
Slice fresh zuccini in 1/8" thick rounds [sponge off moisture]
Lightly sprinkle the zuccini slices with garlic [or seasoned] salt and the toasted sesame seeds.
Put on a dehydrator tray in a single layer, and dry for a day or two, with vents open.
Delicious with a dip or as a snack.

Note that the booklet suggested other vegetables that may be dehydrated, and used for snacks or as "salad crunchies" to add to your salads. Some suggestions were carrots, tomatoes, peppers, and mushrooms.

Purslane Pickles

Use any size jar with a plastic lid. Narrow-necked bottles can be a problem. Fill your jar or bottle with freshly-harvested purslane cut into two-inches pieces. Leave a little space at the top. Fill the jar or bottle with room-temperature apple cider vinegar, being sure to completely cover the plant material. Cover. (Metal lids will corrode; do not use.) Label, including date. This is ready to use in six weeks; but will stay good for up to a year.

To use: A tablespoon of purslane vinegar on cooked greens, beans, and salads adds wonderful flavor along with lots of minerals. You can also eat the pickled purslane right out of the bottle or add it to salads or beans.

Susun S Weed

Salsa Verde

• 3 unpeeled garlic cloves
• 1 pound fresh tomatillos, husked, rinsed
• 1 small onion, quartered through root end
• 3 to 6 serrano chiles or 2 to 4 jalapeño chiles
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon (or more) sugar
• Coarse kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup low-salt chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons (or more) fresh lime juice

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Thread garlic onto skewer. Grill garlic, tomatillos, onion quarters, and chiles until dark brown spots form on all sides, about 9 minutes for onion, 6 minutes for tomatillos and chiles, and 4 minutes for garlic. Cool. Peel garlic. Trim core from onion. Scrape some of burnt skin off chiles; stem. Seed chiles for milder salsa, if desired. Coarsely chop onion, chiles, and garlic. Transfer tomatillos and all vegetables to blender. Add cilantro and 1/2 teaspoon sugar; puree until smooth. Season to taste with coarse salt.
Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over high heat. Carefully add tomatillo mixture (juices may splatter). Stir until slightly thickened, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Add broth and 2 tablespoons lime juice. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer until mixture measures 2 1/2 cups, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and more sugar and lime juice, if desired. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, then cover and chill.


Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Salsa-Verde-242139#ixzz0zTGboUDZ

Turnip Greens

Note: mustard greens, collard greens, or kale can be substituted in this recipe.

1 bunch fresh turnip greens with roots
1 medium piece salt pork
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons bacon drippings, butter, or margarine
Pinch of sugar (optional)


Strip the stems from the greens (unless they’re very tender) and wash thoroughly. Place in a saucepan and add the pork, water, and salt. Cook, covered, for 45 minutes over medium heat, or until tender. Remove the pork and pour the greens into a colander to drain. Place in a pan and chop scissor-like with two knives. If necessary, add more salt to taste. Keep hot and add the bacon drippings and a pinch of sugar.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Turnip-Greens-105051#ixzz0zTFh9DYj

Beets with Greens in Vinaigrette

• 1 1/2 pounds medium beets (about 4; 2 1/2 pounds with greens), trimmed, leaving 1 inch of stems attached
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Cover beets generously with water in a heavy medium saucepan and simmer until tender when pierced in center with a knife, 30 to 45 minutes. Drain in a colander and cool to warm, then slip off skins. Cut beets into 1/4-inch slices.
Meanwhile, whisk together vinegar, onion, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking, then add warm beets and parsley and toss. Season with additional sugar and salt. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Cooks' note: Beets can be roasted and sliced 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before tossing with vinaigrette and parsley.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Beets-in-Vinaigrette-241086#ixzz0zTF4pTGI

Sauteed Radishes with Radish Greens

• 2 pounds radishes with greens attached
• 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon salt (preferably sea salt)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Cut greens from radishes and coarsely chop. Trim radishes and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch wedges.
Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté radish wedges with salt, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a platter and keep warm, loosely covered.
Sauté garlic in remaining tablespoon butter in skillet over moderately high heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add greens and sauté, stirring, until wilted, about 1 minute.
Return radish wedges to skillet and stir in chives.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sauteed-Radishes-105226#ixzz0zTELkEPQ

Saving Tomato Seed

By Nina Berryman

During U-Pick the other day, one of the shareholders asked me a few questions about how to save tomato seed. Saving seed is a great way to increase your self-sufficiency, select for traits that are specifically adapted to your unique growing area, save money, and connect with your food in yet another way. When you save seed from a tomato, you are most likely going to get the seeds that produce a plant that grows tomatoes just like the one the seeds came from. In other words, the plants do not cross-pollinate and the seeds will be true to their parent plant. This is true most of the time. There are a few varieties of tomato that do not produce seeds that yield the same types of fruit. Those are potato-leaved varieties (such as the popular brandywine variety), currant tomatoes and any fruit formed from double blossoms of beefsteak tomatoes.
The following paragraphs are selected from one of my favorite farming resources, “Seed to Seed” by Suzanne Ashworth.

Pick and wash fully ripe tomatoes, and then cut the fruits across the middle, not through the stem and blossom ends. This exposes the large seed cavities and makes the seeds accessible without smashing the fruit. Now squeeze the seeds and surrounding gel into a bowl or bucket.
Each tomato seed is encased in a gelatinous sack. The gel in these sacks contains chemicals that inhibit sprouting inside the wet flesh of the tomato. In nature the ripe tomatoes fall from the plant and destroyed. Eventually the fruits totally rot away leaving the seeds on the surface of the soil, ready to germinate when conditions are right.
Artificially duplicating the tomato fruit’s fermentation process is not difficult. In addition to removing the gel sack, fermentation also kills many seed-borne diseases.
The container of tomato seeds and gel should be set aside to ferment to one to three days. Fermentation will proceed more quickly as the daytime temperatures increase.
During this period the container of seeds will begin to stink and will become covered with a layer of white or gray mold. Because of the horrible smell, do not keep the bowl in the house or where it might be tipped over by animals or children. The fermentation process should be stopped when the layer of mold completely covers its surface. Be sure to monitor the process closely because, if allowed to continue too long, the seeds will begin to germinate in the mixture.
Add enough water to double the mixture and then stir it vigorously. The good seeds will settle to the bottom of the container, allowing the mold and debris and hollow seeds to be poured off. Add more water and repeat the process until only clean seeds remain.
Some growers prefer to pour the entire contents of the container into a strainer, without adding any water, and then wash under running water. Make a fist and use the fronts of your fingers to rub the mold and softened debris through the screen. Wipe the bottom of the strainer on a towel to remove as much moisture as possible and dump the seeds out to a glass or ceramic dish to dry. Do not attempt to dry the seeds on soft paper or cloth or non-rigid plastic, as it is extremely difficult to remove the seeds from these surfaces. Coffee filters, which are inexpensive to purchase reportedly work well and tend to wick the moisture away from the seeds during drying.
To ensure even drying and to prevent the seeds from bunching together, stir at least twice a day. Never dry seeds in direct sunlight or in an oven. Tomato seeds will begin to germinate if not dried quickly. In hot humid weather, a fan will help speed the drying process.

Eggplant Casserole

• 1 medium eggplant, unpeeled, diced
• 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 large bell pepper, diced
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 2 slices bread
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf marjoram
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Butter a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Heat oven to 350°.
Steam the diced eggplant just until tender, about 5 minutes.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and saute, stirring, until onion is tender. Add the garlic and saute for about 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat.
Spread bread slices with the butter and cut into cubes. Stir the eggplant and bread cubes into the onion mixture. Let the mixture cool slightly. Stir in the beaten eggs, salt, pepper, thyme, and marjoram. Stir in half of the shredded cheese. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish and cover with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned. Serve hot. Serves 4.
Source: http://southernfood.about.com/od/eggplantcasserolerecipes/r/r100203a.htm

Heirloom Tomato Salad

• 8 to 10 small tomatoes, a variety of colors if possible
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/4 cup diced sweet onion or purple onion
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil, or 1 teaspoon dried leaf basil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Cut cores from the tomatoes; slice each tomato into 8 to 10 wedges. Combine with remaining ingredients in a large bowl; toss to blend well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve on salad greens, if desired.
Serves 6 to 8.
Source: http://southernfood.about.com/od/tomatoes/r/r70622h.htm

Skillet Green Beans and Peppers

• 16 ounces green beans, cooked
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced in strips
• 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, sliced in strips
• 1 small onion, halved and sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• salt and pepper
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add cooked green beans, peppers, onion, and garlic. Cook slowly, stirring, until peppers are crisp tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6 to 8.

Source: http://southernfood.about.com/od/greenbeans/r/bl50727j.htm

Salmon and Swiss Chard Quiche

• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1/4 cup plain dried bread crumbs
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 8 ounces salmon fillets, skin removed
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 bunch Swiss chard, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 eggs
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 10 inch pie plate using about 1 tablespoon of butter. Sprinkle bread crumbs into the pie dish and shake to coat evenly, discarding excess.
2. Pour the milk into a large saucepan and warm over medium heat. Add the salmon fillets and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, or until salmon can be flaked with a fork.
3. Melt the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and Swiss chard; cook and stir until tender and most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt, pepper, marjoram and nutmeg. Set aside to cool; you should have about one cup of chard and onion.
4. Spread the chard mixture and flake the salmon into the prepared pie plate. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and one cup of cooled milk from poaching the salmon. Pour into the pie dish.
5. Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the center is set. Cool slightly before serving.

Butternut Squash Soup

*you can substitute any winter squash

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 (2 pound) butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 orange, juiced
• 1 orange, juiced and zested
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• salt and pepper to taste
1. Melt butter in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat, and cook and stir the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour in the chicken broth, and stir in the butternut squash cubes, orange juice, and orange zest. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the squash cubes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour back into the pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot. Whisk in sour cream until smooth, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Heat over medium-low heat until almost simmering, and serve hot.
• The number of servings is largely dependent on the size of your butternut, so it can be a good idea to double the recipe for soup for a group--it's always a big hit!
• Substitute vegetable stock for chicken broth to make a vegetarian soup.

Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Giselas-Butternut-Squash-Soup/Detail.aspx

Urban Farming in Philadelphia’s History

By Nicole Sugerman

On Grist.org, an environmental news website, farmer and food writer Tom Philpott recently wrote an inspiring article, “The history of urban agriculture should inspire its future”. I urge you all to read this informative and interesting piece. In it, he traces the surprisingly deep roots of agriculture in cities, from 19th century dairy farms in New York City to the 1970’s rise of community gardens in post-industrial Detroit. Philpott is enthusiastic about the current popularity of urban food production and its roots, explaining: “In trendy neighborhoods from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to San Francisco's Mission district, urban youth are nurturing vegetables in window sills, fire escapes, and roofs. . . But growing food in the city isn't just the province of privileged youth -- in fact, the recent craze for urban agriculture started in decidedly unhip neighborhoods.”

Like the cities mentioned in Philpott’s article, Philadelphia has a rich history of food production that often goes unacknowledged in the current moment of burgeoning excitement around urban agriculture. When William Penn originally conceptualized the city of Philadelphia, he imagined it as “a greene Country Towne, which will never be burnt, and allways be wholesome”. Although shipping and industry quickly began to
dominate the agricultural roots of the city’s economy, farms and agriculture remained in Philadelphia. Beyond 40th street, West Philadelphia retained a primarily agricultural character throughout the 19th century, with farms remaining farther west even throughout the 1900’s (http://www.phillyh2o.org/backpages/
OverbrookHistory.htm).

Besides large farms existing within the city’s limits, small-plot urban gardening, for both subsistence and marketing, also has a long history in Philadelphia. In 1897, the Vacant Lot Cultivation Association was founded with the intent to promote land access, youth involvement in gardening, and to foster market gardening (Vitiello and Nairn, 26). Throughout the 1900’s, community gardens in Philadelphia fluctuated in popularity, with spikes in times of economic hardship or war. Urban gardening really took off in the 1970’s, spurred by deindustrialization’s effects on both the availability of jobs and the density of neighborhoods. Gardening was well funded and supported by programs through organizations like the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the Penn State Cooperative Extension. This support peaked in the 1970’s, then suffered a sharp decline in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s (Vitiello and Nairn, 34).

As detailed in Philpott’s article for grist.org, and evidenced by increased institutional support, media coverage, and empirical data, urban gardening is undergoing a new renaissance. As Philpott says, this “hip” new trend is not new. However, the face of the urban gardening movement has changed. As the historical trends illustrate, growing food in urban areas has traditionally been based on need, evidenced by its correspondence to times of economic hardship, and cultural preservation; in the Philadelphia Harvest Report, Vitiello and Nairn explain, “The majority of community gardeners in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s came to Philadelphia in the Second Great Migration of African Americans after World War Two, the contemporaneous Great Migration of Puerto Ricans, and the Southeast Asian migrations following the Vietnam War. Gardening offered opportunities for a combination of cultural preservation and, especially where gardens involved a mix of ethnic groups, for social integration as well”(p. 27).

While this is still true to a certain extent, the new poster child of the urban agriculture movement is young and, more often than not, white. The ‘new’ gardeners are growing heirloom tomatoes for personal use, or choosing careers in urban agriculture as conduits for living out personal politics of localism and ground-up change. While there is nothing wrong with these trends in and of themselves, I find myself troubled at times. Asking why there is so much attention paid to urban gardening now, despite the long, rich history of urban agriculture, is important. While perhaps unintentional, obscuring the history of this work by working class people and people of color is very unfortunate and seems unfair. I do not mean to suggest that all the people presently involved in urban gardening are white, nor do I mean to suggest that those of us who are white should not be excited about growing our own food.

However, I do think that recognizing that these ‘new’ trends in food politics- organic food, raising chickens, growing one’s own vegetables—are in fact quite old, is significant, and, furthermore, I recognize that these concepts have often reached
the consciousness of the mainstream only when adopted by upper-middle class, young, white people.

For the urban agriculture and food movement to grow, we must acknowledge, learn from, and continue to support the work happening by all people in all areas of our city—not just the ‘trendy’ neighborhoods, or when practiced by ‘privileged kids’ who get a disproportionate percentage of the attention, support, and ultimately credit for a series of activities and actions that far precedes me—work that has been done outstandingly well by others for a very long time.

Sources:

Levine, Adam. “A Brief History of the Overbrook Neighborhood of Philadelphia, focusing on Changes in the Natural Landscape”. JASTECH Development Services. 2005.
http://www.phillyh2o.org/backpages/Overbrook History.htm

Philpott, Tom. “The history of urban agriculture should inspire its future”. 3 August 2010. www.grist.org

Vitiello, Domenic and Nairn, Michael. Community Gardening in Philadelphia: 2008
Harvest Report. Penn Planning and Urban Studies, University of Pennsylvania. 2009.

Winter Squash!

Winter squash are here! A mystery to everyone—why are they called winter squash when
they mature in the early fall or late summer? Hmm. . .
We grew five types of winter squash this season. The most easily recognizable squashes we grow are butternut, a large, pear-shaped, nutty-brownish-peach squash, and acorn, a small, dark green squash. We also grow sweet dumpling, a white and green striped pan-shaped delicata squash, a green kabocha, a squat, slate-blue squash, and orange kabocha, a dark orange squash with very firm flesh. Enjoy!

Spiced Carrot Salad

Serves 4 to 6
2 cups diagonally sliced carrots
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cloves garlic minced
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
Lemon slices
1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add
carrots; boil until barely tender and still
brightly colored, 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Drain the carrots and immediately run cold
water over them to stop the cooking. Drain
well.
3. Transfer carrots to a large salad bowl. Add the
parsley, cilantro, and mint. Toss to combine.
4. Mix the lemon juice, garlic, cumin, cinnamon,
paprika, and cayenne in a small bowl. Stir in
the sugar. Slowly pout in the olive oil in a
thin stream, whisking constantly, until the
dressing is thick and no longer separates.
5. Pour the dressing over the carrots and toss
until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at
least 2 hours.
6. Let salad come to room temperature before
serving. Top each serving with a lemon slice.
From: Farmer John’s Cookbook

Butternut Squash Polenta

3/4 cup finely chopped onion (1
medium)
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 ½ cups winter squash purée
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 cup instant polenta
• 1 oz finely grated Parmigiano-
Reggiano (1/2 cup)
Cook onion in 3 tablespoons butter in a 10-
inch heavy skillet over moderate heat,
stirring, until very soft, about 8 minutes. Stir
in squash and cook, stirring occasionally, 2
minutes.
Bring water, milk, salt, and pepper to a boil
in a 4-quart heavy pot. Add polenta in a thin
stream, whisking. Cook polenta at a bare
simmer, stirring with a long-handled whisk
and turning down heat as needed to prevent
spattering, 5 minutes.
Stir in squash mixture and cook, stirring, 3
minutes. Remove from heat, then stir in
cheese and remaining 2 tablespoons butter.
Serve immediately.
Serves 4. Gourmet Magazine, 2005

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food
/views/Butternut-Squash-Polenta-
233272#ixzz0y9XnnZc9

Kabocha Squash Cake with Brown Sugar Cream

Bon Appetit, 2007
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/
Kabocha-Squash-Cake-with-Brown-Sugar-
Cream-239812#ixzz0y9WB1UuS
Brown sugar cream:
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 3 large egg whites
Cakes:
• 2 cups 3/4-inch cubes peeled seeded kabocha
squash (from one 3-pound squash)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup lager (mild-flavored beer)
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For brown sugar cream:
Place 1 tablespoon water in cup. Sprinkle gelatin over.
Let stand 10 minutes to soften.
Stir cream and sugar in medium saucepan over
medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add egg whites and
whisk until mixture thickens, about 12 minutes (do not
boil). Add gelatin mixture; whisk until dissolved.
Strain into large clean bowl. Chill until cold. Cover
and chill overnight.

For cakes:
Combine squash and milk in heavy small saucepan.
Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to
simmer over medium heat. Partially cover, reduce heat
to medium-low, and simmer until squash is very
tender, about 20 minutes. Remove vanilla bean. Drain
squash. Place in processor and blend until smooth. DO
AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray six 3/4cup ramekins with
nonstick spray. Place 1/2 cup squash puree in large
bowl (reserve remaining puree for another use). Add
sugar, oil, beer, and egg to puree and beat to blend.
Sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt over; beat
to blend. Divide batter among prepared ramekins.
Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out
clean, about 18 minutes. Cool cakes in ramekins. Turn
out onto plates. Beat brown sugar cream to firm peaks;
spoon alongside cakes.

Young Swiss Chard with Sesame Seeds

1 ½ pounds swiss chard, washed and kept
whole
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons roasted and very lightly ground
sesame seeds
1 ½ tablespoons white wine or dry sherry
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
Drop in the chard and bring back to a boil.
Cover partially and boil rapidly for 3 to 4
minutes, or until the stems are just tender.
Drain and rinse under cold water. Squeeze out
as much water as possible and put the chard in a
bowl. Separate the leaves, which will be like
strands now.
Combine the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and
wine. Mix well. Pour the dressing over the
chard and toss to mix. Serve at room
temperature or chilled.
Serves 4.
From: World Vegetarian by Madhur Jaffrey

Is the Share Getting Smaller?

By Nina Berryman

Some of you may have noticed the share seems a little smaller these last few weeks. This may seem strange since it’s the middle of August, which is usually the peak of the season. The truth is, it is and it isn’t. The number of items on the table at the pick-up has decreased over the past few weeks, but the number of items on the U-Pick has increased. The reason the U-Pick has increased is simple, these crops have recently started to produce in the quantity that everyone can pick them.
The reason the items on the table at the pick-up has decreased is more complicated. The culprit: the hot, dry weather. Over a month ago I wrote an article about our lack of rain and hot temperatures, and I described the different irrigation techniques we use to compensate. Since then it has only continued to be hot and dry. In July there were 19 days above 90 degrees, the average is 10 (http://www.weather.gov/climate/getclimate.php?wfo=phi). Some vegetables have reputations of thriving in the heat, such as tomatoes and eggplant. In fact we even plant them in black plastic mulch to heat up the soil so they grow faster. However, this summer seems to be even too hot for some of these heat-loving plants. There is a maximum temperature at which plants can set fruit (meaning the flowers develop into vegetables). According to one source, eggplant set fruit best between the temperatures of 70 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit (http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07616.html). For tomatoes, fruit setting is “poor” at 26 degrees Celsius, which is about 78 degrees Fahrenheit (http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/88/5/869.pdf). Another source said fruit setting is “inhibited” at 30 degrees Celsius, which is about 86 degrees Fahrenheit (http://www.tomatosphere.org/teacher-resources/teachers-guide/grades-5-7/tomatoes.cfm). It seems the paste tomatoes are hardier in this hot weather than some of the larger, heirloom varieties (Friday’s pick up from last week can vouch for the bounty of pastetomatoes and the scarcity of the larger varieties).
There are also of course the crops that don’t like hot temperatures, and they are suffering even more than they usually do in a typical summer. Everyone loves lettuce heads, but they sadly fall into this category. Over the winter when we made our planting schedule we decided we would transplant lettuce every week because it is so popular. On one of the recent and rare lettuce harvests our intern Kirsten said, “I think this is only the second time I’ve harvested lettuce this summer.” She started in the beginning of June. Some of our lettuce plantings have completely dried up and fried. Almost all have bolted before they even sized up.
The result of all this is less variety on the table during the pick-up. One of our returning shareholders suggested I write an article reminding people of the basic premise of a CSA: that shareholders share the risks as well as the bounty of agriculture with a farmer. In my own curiosity I calculated the value of last week’s share based on the prices we sell the same vegetables for at farmers markets. Not including U-pick, both Tuesday and Friday were above the weekly value of a small or large share. We are proud to say that everyone is still “getting their money’s worth” of vegetables, even on a small week, even disregarding the U-pick.
So please, everyone do your rain dances and wish for the best! I’m writing this on Saturday evening and I just checked the weather forecast and according to the National Weather Service “showers are likely” for tomorrow!

From the Perspective of a Student

My first day at the C.S.A was an amazing experience. I learned a lot about the different fruits and vegetables they grew. My favorite vegetable that the C.S.A produce is carrots. I learned that the part of the carrot we eat is in the ground like potatoes. After the vegetables we weeded. The most important step before you start is to make sure your wearing long pants and goggles. Starting up the weed whacker was the hardest part because it took a lot of strength. Before you pull the string you have to turn it on and pump the primer. Then you pull the string to start the motor. Once i started weeding i couldn’t stop. It was so fun and it wasn’t an easy job. Most of my classmates complained because of the heat but I didn’t care. Hopefully i can do it again. The C.S.A was both fun and educational. This was one of the most exciting experience of my life. Maybe in the future i can own a farm and produce my own crops.

Sierra Davis- incoming Freshman, class of 2014

Thai Basil and Eggplant Stir Fry

• 2 T peanut oil
• 1/2 - 1 tsp sambal oelek (chili garlic paste)
• 1/2 onion, cut in slivers
• 4 - 6 cloves of garlic minced, 2 reserved
• 1 -3 chili peppers, finely chopped
• 2 Japanese eggplant, cut in irregular slices
• 1/4 C vegetable broth
• 3 T soy sauce, 2 reserved
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 T cornstarch
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 C basil leaves, torn
• First, assemble your ingredients for the stir fry. Chop the onion, hot pepper, 2 cloves of garlic, and eggplant; combine them in a bowl.
• Prepare your sauce. In a small dish, combine the 2 reserved tablespoons of soy sauce, the brown sugar, the sesame oil, and the reserved garlic.
• In a separate small dish, dissolve the cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water.
• Heat the peanut oil in a wok or large saute pan.
• When the oil is hot, add the chopped vegetables and the sambal oelek. Stir fry the vegetables for 5-6 minutes, adding the broth toward the end of the cooking time to keep the vegetables moist.
• Season the veggies with a tablespoon of soy sauce, and stir fry for another minute.
• Pour the sauce mixture over the stir fry, then the cornstarch mixture.
• Stir well, then add most of the basil. Let it wilt.
• Remove the pan from heat and serve.
• Garnish with the remaining basil and serve over steamed rice.

Source: http://www.grouprecipes.com/72851/thai-basil-and-eggplant-stir-

Roast Red Pepper Tomato Soup

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 red bell peppers
• 4 large tomatoes - peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon white sugar
• 6 cups chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
• 1 dash hot pepper sauce
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons sour cream
1.Roast peppers: rub oil on peppers and put them under the broiler until blackened, turn to get all sides. Put into paper bag and seal. Let rest for 15 minutes, then peel will come right off and core and seeds will fall out. Chop peppers.
Reserve one chopped pepper; set aside.
2.Heat olive oil over moderate heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato, bell peppers (except reserved), thyme, paprika, and sugar. Cook over medium-low heat until all the tomato juices have evaporated, about 25 minutes
3. Stir in chicken stock, salt and pepper, cayenne pepper, and hot sauce (if using). Bring to boiling, lower heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
4. Strain soup, reserving broth. Place solids in food processor or blender, and process until fairly smooth. Add puree back into broth.
5. Melt butter and stir in the flour, cook for 1 minute. Stirring slowly, add the broth/vegetable mixture. Add reserved chopped pepper and bring to boiling. Lower heat and simmer 10 minutes.
6. Ladle into bowls and add 1 tablespoon of sour cream to each bowl. For a lighter soup, this is also delicious without the sour cream.
Source: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/roasted-red-pepper-and-tomato-soup/Detail.aspx

Tomato Pepper Sauce

• 4 large tomatoes
• 2 large red bell peppers, seeded and diced
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Carefully add the tomatoes to the water, and boil until the skin begins to split. Remove from the water, cool under cold running water, and peel off the skin.
2. Place tomatoes into a large skillet, and mash with a potato masher. Mix in the bell peppers, onion and garlic. Simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes, or until onions and peppers are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Source: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/tomato-pepper-sauce/Detail.aspx