Thai Cabbage Salad

Ingredients:

For the Dressing:
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored & chopped
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon water
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the Coleslaw:
16 ounce bag cole slaw mix (or 5 cups shredded cabbage)
½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 green onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
½ cup roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Preparation: 

1. Puree all of the dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor (the consistency will be like applesauce); set aside.

2. In a large bowl, toss together all of the coleslaw ingredients. Pour the dressing over the coleslaw ingredients and mix until all of the coleslaw is evenly coated with dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2013/08/28/thai-peanut-cabbage-slaw/

Spicy Parmesan Collard Chips

Ingredients:

1 head collard greens, rinsed and dried (about 12 oz)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt

Preparation:

Ensure that 2 racks are in place in oven, in middle and bottom third positions. Preheat oven to 300°F.
Using a knife, remove thick stems from center of collard leaves, cutting leaves in half. Then cut each leaf into 2 1/2-inch pieces. In a large mixing bowl, toss collards with oil, lemon juice and Parmesan until evenly coated; season with cayenne and salt.
Arrange leaves in a single layer on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, dividing evenly (leaves may overlap slightly). Both sheets of collards may be cooked simultaneously but placed on separate oven racks.
Bake collards for about 18 minutes, until leaves are crispy and cheese is golden brown. After 12 minutes of cooking, begin checking leaves for doneness every 2 minutes. Remove any crisp chips each time and return sheets to oven until all chips are done. Allow chips to cool to room temperature and enjoy. Chips may be stored in a sealable bag or container in a cool, dark place for up to 5 days.

http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/recipes/spicy-parmesan-collard-chips/

Green Tomato Salsa Verde

Ingredients:

1 pound green tomatoes

2 to 3 jalapeño or serrano peppers (more to taste)

1/2 medium onion, preferably a white onion, chopped, soaked for five minutes in cold water, drained, rinsed and drained again on paper towels

Salt to taste

1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro (from the U-Pick!)

1/4 to 1/2 cup water, as needed (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the green tomatoes on the baking sheet, stem-side down, and place under the broiler about 2 inches from the heat. Broil two to five minutes, until charred. Using tongs, turn the tomatoes over, and grill on the other side for two to five minutes, until blackened. Remove from the heat. When cool enough to handle, core the tomatoes and remove the charred skin. Quarter and place in a blender or a food processor fitted with a steel blade (I prefer the blender).

Add the remaining ingredients, except the water, to the blender or food processor, and blend to a coarse or a smooth puree (to your taste). Transfer to a bowl, taste and adjust seasonings, and thin out with water if desired. Allow to stand for 30 minutes or longer before serving to allow the flavors to develop. You may wish to thin out after it stands.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/28/health/nutrition/28recipehealth.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&ref=greentomatoes&adxnnlx=1381778543-Tv5/FIKchyrdGoqzW0u0Rw

End of Season Potluck a Success!

Thanks to all of you that came out to our end of season Potluck!

70x7 Mural Arts “The Meal”

by Clare Hyre, WWCP Farm Educator at Henry Got Crops! CSA On Saturday October 5, two Saul students and I had the pleasure to attend the 70x7 Mural Arts “The Meal” dinner on the Thomas Paine Plaza across from City Hall. It was a beautiful gathering of around 900 people who came together to celebrate Heirloom vegetables (plants bred before the 1950’s, before the rise of genetically modified plants) and talk about what heirloom means to us. Isaiah Nelson, Jada May, and I all really enjoyed the food and company. We each got our very own handmade dish from France to take home that highlighted varieties of vegetables that are going extinct. When the meal began we ate Fennel & Parmesan Gratin, Butternut Squash Caponata, Bagna Cauda with Heirloom Vegetables, and Red Thumb Fingerling Potato salad.  Our dessert was a crispy Granny Smith apple from a local orchard. Chef Marc Vetri created the menu for the meal and the food came from Lancaster Farm Fresh, Green Meadow Farm, and Heritage Farm. Volunteers who then joined us for the meal served it to us and joined our discussion about the work we were each doing in the arts or farm related world. Although the event was short it was very meaningful to each of us and we owe Lisa Mosca from the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society a big THANK YOU for allowing us to be there. This event made me want to go home and take my CSA vegetables and make a huge meal for my friends and family. It made me want to talk about heirloom and what that means to me. It made me want to learn more about GMO’s and Monsanto and loss of diversity in our eco-systems. Thank you Mural Arts Program and Lucy + Jorge Ota (artists from Paris) who made such a lovely and tasty meal and creating a great conversation starter. So… what does heirloom mean to you?

Saul Students, Isaiah Nelson and Jada May.

Heirloom Vegetables

Graduation for the “Beginning Farmer Training Program”

Saturday was the graduation ceremony for the 11 participants of the 2013 Beginning Farmer Training Program. These 11 dynamic adults were a huge part of the 2013 growing season at Henry Got Crops. I am so lucky to have worked with them, and learned alongside them. The participants already have business plans completed for their future projects. Some of these include: a nutrition education based farm at a local church, an herb business, a composting business, managing a farm for the urban farming organization Teens4Good, and a farm that grows culturally appropriate vegetables for the Nepali community is South Philadelphia.

Reflections on the Farm...

By By Mohammad Abuwadeh , Senior at W.B. Saul High School

The share which Mohamed writes about in this article was harvested from the Student Raised beds, a space maintained by our non-profit Weavers Way Community Programs.

As a third year participant in the “Harvest On Henry” fundrasier, I will have the honor of being the MC. The Harvest On Henry has had a relatively large impact on my life. Ever since I came to Saul my mother has been pushing me to get the information so that she could purchase a share from the CSA. She always thought that organic fruits and vegetables grown by students going to the same school as me was always “cool”. For some odd reason I just never got around to getting her the information. So every opportunity I would get to take some fruits or vegetables home from the CSA I jumped on it.  When I won the share from the CSA my mom was ecstatic. I walked in the house with two grocery bags of vegetables and a bouquet of flowers and my mom was shocked. She gave me a big hug and wouldn't let go.  I had no idea that getting a share from the CSA was so exciting to her. I guess since I go to school at Saul and work at the CSA a lot, I don't take organic farming so seriously.

The Harvest On Henry is a great way for locals to get the information they need to understand what exactly the CSA is. Most people don’t understand the benefits of organic farming and to why they would even invest their money into the CSA. Just persuading people into even attending the Harvest On Henry makes me feel like I am helping people’s lives-by them attending they get all the information they need to understand what organic farming is all about. Also, it gives them the sense that the CSA is a fun, loving, and active part of the community; not just a farm.