SQUASH BLOSSOM FRITTERS

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
a few grinds of black pepper
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 cup grated Parmiggiano-Reggiano
1 egg
8-9 squash blossoms, torn into thirds
1/4 cup diced mozzarella
2 thin slices ham, cut into thin strips (optional)
Vegetable oil for frying


In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, pepper, salt, Parmigiano and egg and stir until well combined. Add in the squash blossoms, mozzarella and ham. Stir in enough cold water until a nice batter forms (should be the consistency of a pancake batter).

Heat about a 1/2 cup of vegetable oil over medium heat until shimmering. Using a dinner spoon, drop a spoonful of batter into the oil to make small pancakes. Fry on both sides until golden, a few minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and season with a pinch of salt. Continue frying the remaining pancakes.

http://www.finecooking.com/item/18493/squash-blossom-fritters

CHINESE SCALLION PANCAKES

recipe by Elsa Chen
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour, plus more for flouring the rolling surface
1 cup water
2 teaspoons oil
A bunch of green onions, green and white parts, chopped medium-fine
A few tablespoons of oil to brush on pancakes (a mix of canola or corn oil and sesame oil is good) some salt A few tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:
Mix together the first three ingredients by hand or in a food processor. Flour a surface and knead the dough. Let it rest for 20-30 minutes before continuing.
With a rolling pin, roll the dough out on a well-floured surface into a big, flat square or rectangle 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.

Brush the pancake with a bit of oil, and sprinkle with spring onion pieces and a little salt. Starting at one short end, roll up the dough tightly, jelly-roll style, so you have a "snake."
Cut the "snake" crosswise into 8 - 10 pieces. Then flatten each piece again gently with your palm and rolling pin to make a little rectangle. Don't flatten it too firmly, because you want a little air to remain trapped between the layers of the pancakes so they'll puff up a bit between the layers and be lighter.

Press one or both sides in sesame seeds (optional).

Heat a tablespoon or two of oil in a large skillet. Shallow fry the pancakes until both sides are golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels.

Serve plain or with dipping sauce. An easy sauce can be made by mixing soy sauce with a little minced garlic, scallion, and rice vinegar

http://www.mariquita.com/recipes/scallions.html

ZUCCHINI WITH DILL AND BUTTER

Ingredients:
• 2 medium zucchini, unpeeled
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• dried dillweed
Preparation:
Cut zucchini lengthwise in half; cook in about an inch of boiling, salt water for 12 minutes, or until tender. Drain zucchini; brush with melted butter and sprinkle with dill.
Serves 4.

http://southernfood.about.com/od/zucchinirecipes/r/bl40320j.htm

YELLOW SQUASH PATTIES

Ingredients:
• 2 cups grated yellow squash
• 1/4 cup self - rising flour
• 1/3 cup self - rising cornmeal
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 egg, beaten
• pepper to taste
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients together. Spoon out into hot greased frying pan (I use olive oil). Brown both sides. Drain on paper towel. Suzi's Note: I enjoy these very much! Sometimes I make them real crispy, other times I make them like potato pancakes and have apple sauce with them.



http://southernfood.about.com/od/summersquash/r/bl30515f.htm

VEGETARIAN STUFFED PEPPERS

1 (16 oz.) can pinto beans
1/2 c. wheat flour
1/2 stick (1/4 c.) butter
4 c. cooked white rice
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato paste
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. honey
6 green peppers

Combine the rice, tomato paste, m oregano, basil and cayenne pepper. Remove tops and insides of peppers. Fill peppers 2/3 full with rice mixture. Melt butter in a skillet and add flour and honey and cook until thickened. Add the beans and let cook for two or three minutes. Fill remainder of peppers with bean mixture.Place small amount of butter in a baking pan and bake the peppers at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. This is really tasty.

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1726,150172-251192,00.html

MEDITERRANEAN BRAISED CHARD

Note: Add a few anchovies in for "unexpected complexity." This recipe can be made with beet, mustard, turnip, or older dandelion greens in place of the chard; serve it with grilled meat or fish, or eat the greens on their own with a dollop of tangy yogurt.

INGREDIENTS
2 bunches Swiss chard, washed, thoroughly dried, and stems trimmed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium white onion, minced
4 anchovy fillets, rinsed and finely chopped
2 tablespoons golden raisins
2 teaspoons capers, rinsed
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup whole pitted black olives, finely chopped
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
Juice of 1/2 medium lemon

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Slice chard stems from leaves. Coarsely chop stems and set aside; cut leaves crosswise into 1-inch-wide strips and set aside.
2. Heat oil and butter in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Once butter foams, add onion, anchovies, and raisins and cook until onion is softened and anchovies have broken down into a paste.
3. Add capers and garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant and lightly browned.

Poems about Rain!

Rain
by Shel Silverstein

I opened my eyes
And looked up at the rain,
And it dripped in my head
And flowed into my brain,
And all that I hear as I lie in my bed
Is the slishity-slosh of the rain in my head.

I step very softly,
I walk very slow,
I can't do a handstand--
I might overflow,
So pardon the wild crazy thing I just said--
I'm just not the same since there's rain in my head.

RESOLUTION AND INDEPENDENCE
(An excerpt from)
By William Wordsworth
I
THERE was a roaring in the wind all night;
The rain came heavily and fell in floods;
But now the sun is rising calm and bright;
The birds are singing in the distant woods;
Over his own sweet voice the Stock-dove broods;
The Jay makes answer as the Magpie chatters;
And all the air is filled with pleasant noise of waters.

II

All things that love the sun are out of doors;
The sky rejoices in the morning's birth;
The grass is bright with rain-drops;--on the moors
The hare is running races in her mirth;
And with her feet she from the splashy earth
Raises a mist, that, glittering in the sun,
Runs with her all the way, wherever she doth run.

Meet the CSA Pick-Up Staff

Its about time we formally introduce to you our team of shareholders who staff the CSA pick-up! This year we greatly expanded our team of working share members (last year we had one working share). We are grateful for the help and the increased involvement that these people are contributing to Henry Got Crops. You see one of the working share members every time you come to pick up your vegetables. The pick-up staff get a discount on their share for working a specified number of hours at the farm. They have received rigorous training on staffing the pick-up and are now experts and can answer all of your vegetable pick-up questions! They also often have great suggestions on how to cook the veggies in your share. Don’t be shy to introduce yourself! This week, meet the Tuesday staffers Carl (who staffs 2 to 5) and Sarah (who along with Anna staffs from 5 to 7):
Carl Notter
Past:
Born in the 1940’s, grow-up in the 50’s (Traditional American Family), survived the 60’s (seven years in an orphanage, then off to Viet Nam). The 70’s are a blur, started a family and secured employment (not yet interested in education). In October 1980 I was recruited by the Special Operations community. At which time, I took a leave of absence from the school district to go back on active duty to complete the SFQ course. After two years on active duty I returned to the area and in 1984 I retired from the Philadelphia School District and moved on to the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD). I was recruited by the PPD to be a mounted police officer (good move). During my police career I was often on active military duty due to multiple deployments, e.g., Ecuador, Argentina, Uruguay, Panama, Norway, Denmark, and many more (a good change of pace). In February 2001 I retired from the PPD and went back on active duty until my mandatory retirement from the US Army in June 2009, with 42 years of total service for pension.
My quest for education started somewhat later in life. At this time, education is my driving force. In 2000 I discovered the Veterans Upward Bound Program at the University of Pennsylvania, a college preparatory course for veterans. After completion of the course, I received a scholarship to Humboldt State University (Northern California) to study oceanography and biology. I completed my lower level course work at Philadelphia Community College before obtaining my Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from Excelsior College (Online Military Distance Learning) in May, 2006. In May, 2008 I received my Masters Degree in Special Education from Arcadia University, while at a mountain Combat Outpost (COP) in Eastern Afghanistan. Obviously, Online distance learning worked for me.
Present:
I do volunteer work at Henry Got Crops (HGC) each Tuesday from 2X7. I believe in Sustainable Living (SL). Therefore, by working at HGC I hope to learn something each week and contribute in a small way to the growing SL community. On Fridays and Sundays I volunteer at the Pegasus Riding Academy www.pegasusridingacademy.com by working the horses prior to the children taking their riding lessons and leading them during their lessons. On a personal note, I exercise everyday and spend a lot of time in the woods hiking, berry picking, biking, and just enjoying nature.
Future:
I plan to relocate with my clan to an area with warmer weather and longer Summers. As for education, I plan to continue my quest for learning by pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sustainable Living, utilizing the MGIB.

Sarah Punderson

I live in Fairmount/Art Museum area. My favorite vegetable is the banana pepper. In my spare time at the farm, I enjoy trying to pet the sheep through the fence. (Nicole: "Oh by the way, it's electric.")

The Drought, the Heat, the Irrigation and the RAIN!

By Nina Berryman

People always joke about talking about the weather and how it’s a mundane thing to discuss. Around here, its life and death for our plants! It preoccupies our minds and dominates our conversations as if it were the breaking news of presidential election results. At the end of last season we would say, “After a season like this I hope it’s the driest, hottest season ever next year!” Then we would nervously look at each other and wonder if we were unknowingly cursing ourselves. Well, for a moment there it seemed like our superstitions almost came true!

The combination of hot weather and low rainfall has been an especially tough combination recently. It poses different problems for different crops in various parts of the farm. Across the street from where you pick up your vegetables is a small field where we grow mostly potatoes and leeks. This area has absolutely no irrigation hooked up as it’s quite far from any water source. Because of this we specifically put our hardiest crops over there. Plants were definitely beginning to wilt over there (in fact even the weeds were wilting!), but the rain came in the nick of time.
On the main part of the farm (where the U-pick has been) we have irrigation on all the annual vegetables beds. We have three different methods of watering on this side of the field. First, after we transplant something, we water it in by hand, meaning with a hose or a watering can. This deep soaking ensures the transplants can have all their water needs met as they go through the shock of being transplanted.
The second, and most heavily used type of irrigation is called drip irrigation. This is a network of tubing that starts at a water spicket and connects to each bed. On the vegetable bed we lay a specific type of tubing that is called drip tape and has many tiny holes in it, much like a soaker hose. We regulate the pressure of the water so that is it enough to squeeze through the holes in the drip tape. This type of irrigation conserves water as it goes directly to the soil instead of evaporating in the air. Up until the rain last Friday, our drip irrigation had been on almost constantly for the past few weeks. One downfall of the drip irrigation is that it is sometimes is not far-reaching enough to water some of our more crowded beds, like our carrot beds for instance. In an average year, there is usually enough rainfall that nature keeps these plants alive. However this has not been the case this year!

This brings us to our third type of irrigation- sprinklers. In the past two years we've used them infrequently if at all. In the last week before the rain, we rotated a sprinkler around different parts of the field all day and all night. Sprinklers are less water-efficient than the drip irrigation because much of the water evaporates in the air before it hits the soil. However, because of their oscillating movement they are very effective at watering the entire bed.

In addition to the lack of rain the heat has been an added challenge. Many of our beds are covered in white row cover, called Remay. Remay is a physical barrier for pests such as insects and groundhogs. However the Remay acts just like a blanket, and heats the air underneath it, surrounding the plants. It’s been so hot this year, this extra heating has resulted in having to replant eggplant and cucumbers multiple times, and caused some of our lettuce to bolt and go to seed, making it inedible.

Let’s hope the rain we’ve gotten continues!