Map of CSA Shareholders

Thanks to Megan for putting this awesome graphic together!

Garlic Ginger Pea Shoots

1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 lbs pea shoots, chopped slightly
2 tsp soy sauce
½ tsp black pepper
2 tbs seasame seeds

Heat olive oil in skillet or wok
Add ginger and garlic and sauté for 4 minutes
Add pea shoots, cover pan and let cook for 1 minute
Remove from heat and add soy sauce, pepper and sesame seeds
http://www.bigoven.com/133472-Pea-Shoots-Sauteed-with-Garlic-And-Ginger-recipe.html

African Greens

Here is one of shareholder Anna’s favorite Swiss Chard recipes:

Sukuma Wiki (soo-KOO-mah WEE-kee)
In Kenya a bunch of Sukuma Wiki (push the week along) costs approximately five cents (U.S.) Eaten with ugali (grain porridge) it is the cheap, nutritious staple meal of many Kenyans. Kale is the closest substitute in North America. Swiss chard and spinach also work well.

In small amount of water, cook until just tender:
Leaves from 1 bunch kale, finely chopped (I always use Swiss chard.)
1 green pepper, chopped
Salt to taste
Brown in 1 T. oil over medium heat:
1 large onion, thinly sliced
Add and fry until oil separates:
2 T. tomato paste
1 clove garlic, crushed
Add cooked greens and mix thoroughly.

from “Extending the Table... A World Community Cookbook”

Shredded Beet Salad

• 1 cup beets (cooked, peeled, shredded)
• ¼ cup fresh parsley (chopped)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon onion (chopped)
• ½ tablespoon sugar
• ¼ tablespoon salt
• Pepper to taste

Mix together and chill. Place in center of dish
• ½ cup carrots (shredded)
• 1 hard-boiled egg (sliced)
• 1/3 cup parsley (chopped, optional)
• Green olives (optional)
Arrange around the beets.

Serves 2

A Simpler version….
Combine equal portions of shredded carrots and shredded beets with a handful of chopped fresh parsley. Dress with oil and vinegar.
Source: Simply in Season, Lind and Hockman-Wert

Grandmother’s Radish Leaf Soup

Beet greens and kale would also work with or instead of the radish greens for this soup.
3 bunches
1 tbsp.
1 very lg.
1.5 lbs
3 cups
2/3 cup radishes
butter
onion, chopped
russet potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 4)
water
milk

Cut leaves from radishes and wash well. (Reserve radishes for another use.) Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add radish leaves and saute until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add potatoes and 3 cups water. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Puree soup in batches in blender. Return to saucepan. Mix in milk. Stir over medium heat until hot. Season soup with salt and pepper. (Bon Appetit Magazine, 1994)

Sauteed Radishes with Radish Greens or Arugula

• ¼ cup butter
• 1 lb radishes, quartered
• 4 cups radish greens or arugula
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Salt
• Black pepper

Melt the butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add radishes, stirring constantly, until they are tender but still crisp, probably about 5 minutes depending on size. Transfer to bowl to cool. Return skillet to stove.
Put the greens or arugula in the skillet with wash water still on leaves. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until just wilting, 2 to 3 minutes.
Turn off heat. Add lemon juice and radishes to skillet. Stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately
(serves around 4)
From: Farmer John’s Cookbook

The Radish As Medicine

Constituents: Radishes contain glucosilinates, which yield a volatile oil, raphanin, phenolic compounds, and vitamin C. Raphanin is antibiotic, and the phenolic compounds are antioxidant.
Historic Uses:
• The builders of the pyramids in ancient Egypt were paid in radishes, onions, and garlic, according to Herodotus.
• Ancient Romans used radish oil to treat skin diseases.
• The Tang Materia Medica, a Chinese text from the year 659 A.D., lists radishes as a digestive stimulant.
Medicinal Uses:
• Stimulates appetite and digestion
• Can be “dry-fried” to treat chest problems
(Information from: Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, by Andrew Chevallier)

A Shareholder Shares

Shareholder Margaret says: “This spring, Greene Street Friends School, which my daughter attends, performed a scaled back version of "Into the Woods". In the musical, the witch tells the story of Rapunzel in a talking song that starts, "Greens! Greens! Nothing but Greens!" This line has become our mantra, when we look over our weekly haul from the CSA. No expectant father is going to have to sneak into the witch's garden to satisfy his wife, if they participate in the Henry CSA.”

The Witch’s Rap, From Into The Woods:

“In the past, when your mother was with child, she developed an unusual appetite. She took one look at my beautiful garden and told your father that what she wanted more than anything in the world was

Greens, greens and nothing but greens:
Parsley, peppers, cabbages and celery,
Asparagus and watercress and
Fiddleferns and lettuce-!

He said, "All right,"
But it wasn't, quite,
'Cause I caught him in the autumn
In my garden one night!
He was robbing me,
Raping me,
Rooting through my rutabaga,
Raiding my arugula and
Ripping up my rampion
(My champion! My favorite!)-
I should have laid a spell on him
Right there,
Could have changed him into stone
Or a dog or a chair...

But I let him have the rampion-
I'd lots to spare.
In return, however,
I said, "Fair is fair:
You can let me have the baby
That your wife will bear
And we'll call it square."

Observations from the fields, a letter from apprentice Megan

Dear CSA members,

As an apprentice that works the fields of Henry Got Crops CSA, Weaver’s Way’s Awbury Arboretum location, and a small farm at Martin Luther King High School, my job allows me to watch three very different farms grow and change. This CSA’s location is especially dear to me, and I highly value the experience of working to start a brand new farm - and I must tell you, each time I step onto the grounds I see a changed location.

I’d like to encourage you to allow an extra ten minutes the next time you come over to pick up your share, and stroll down to the fields below to check things out.

What you’ll see is a remarkable transformation of a field from an empty green lawn to a space full with vegetable production. You can still see the stages of development: a lightly tilled field with sod trying to take back over, a newly formed raised bed that hasn’t been leveled or shaped yet, a bed ready to be planted in, and finally thriving beds with crops ready for harvest, including perhaps the most beautiful collards I’ve ever had the pleasure of harvesting.

My time spent at Saul has really been dominated by bed preparation, and each day I find more enjoyment in this sometimes tedious work. Most times I’m thinking zen-like thoughts as I rake in compost, testing my balance and momentum as I whiz around a full wheelbarrow,and getting immense pleasure out of planting in one of these soft mounds of earth – coaxing small transplants to root deeply and grow firmly.

Irrigation has been another minor obsession for me at Saul. New fields mean setting up an entire network of irrigation for dry spells and recent plantings. At Saul we use a maze of drip lines which build up pressure and slowly drip drip drip water at every foot of their plastic hoses, so that water reaches the soil directly around the base of the plants, building up moisture for hours. Hooking up irrigation is a nice mind puzzle for the early hours of a day, and now that most of it is installed, I look forward to hastily fixing leaks and checking water pressure as the summer progresses.

But for me, the truly addictive part of farming has always been the never-ending awe of the natural world that working outside nourishes and encourages. Each day that I have the pleasure of growing food for your CSA starts with a bike ride on Forbidden Drive. For the duration of that ride I hear at once the swift water of the Wissahickon and the excited morning chatter of birds. I get caught up quickly dodging potholes and early joggers, and hoping that I won’t be too late. The green of the park is astounding, and each day I am tempted to explore rather than continue up the last strenuous hill, but alas! I find my way onto the fields once again.

And so then I step onto the farm itself, and as I work I see bugs that are so bizarre I can hardly believe they come from Pennsylvania soil, I hear the constantly varying call of a mockingbird, and catch an angry glimpse of a fat groundhog. In the field next to me lumber my friends the cows, who at the end of the day call in their stray friends from the woods in a tone that is distinctly marked by protection and worry. The school’s barns are currently hosts to an array of new baby animals to stare at in amazement. Myself and another apprentice have even recently glimpsed what appears to be a coyote that has taken to hanging around the edge of the wood – too large to be a fox and the size of a medium dog, its mannerisms and appearance seem to be a wild coyote, although I can’t say for certain.

In an attempt to keep this ramble concise and complete, I must also mention my excitement for starting the day tomorrow harvesting your shares. I look forward to the snap of greens as I pull off their leaves to bundle them, and the satisfying pop of turnips and radishes
out of the ground. Delicate herbs are a pleasure to bunch and their rich aromas will lure you into our pickup zone.

Enjoy your vegetables and explore your farm!

Your apprentice,

Megan