Healthy Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and sliced into 1 ½-inch pieces.
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
3 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
1/3 cup fresh whole-grain bread crumbs

Preparation: 

Heat oil on low heat in large skillet. Gently cook onion slices for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are golden. Remove onions from skillet and transfer to a plate.

Meanwhile, steam or boil green beans in for 5-6 minutes, then plunge in a bowl of cold water to keep the vibrant green color and stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.

Add finely chopped onion, garlic to skillet, cook for 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, until they release their juices. Sprinkle flour and thyme over vegetables. Gradually stir in nonfat milk. Increase heat to medium and stir constantly until sauce thickens. Season with a tsp of salt if desired and some freshly ground black pepper.

Spread green beans in a 1 ½-2 quart casserole dish. Pour mushroom sauce over green beans. Top with onions and breadcrumbs.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, until golden.

http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/sidedishes/r/Healthy-Green-Bean-Casserole.htm

Kale and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

16 jumbo pasta shells

9 ounces kale, stems removed and chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

15 ounces ricotta cheese

3/4 cup grated Parmesan, divided

1 egg

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

25-30 ounces tomato sauce, divided

Preparation:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Sprinkle with salt and add shells. Boil until al dente, just tender, drain, and rinse. Place shells on work surface.

In a medium skillet, drizzle olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook until just fragrant, 30 seconds-1 minute. Stir in the kale and cook until wilted. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan, egg, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir in kale mixture.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a 9x13 inch baking dish, spread about 1 cup tomato sauce to cover the bottom.

Fill each shell with about 2 tablespoons of the kale mixture. Place the filled shells in prepared baking dish. Spoon the remaining tomato sauce over the shells. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in preheated oven until heated through and sauce is bubbling, about 30 minutes.

http://www.tarasmulticulturaltable.com/kale-and-ricotta-stuffed-shells/

Roasted Parsnips

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds of parsnips, peeled and cut into 2 1/2 inch batons
4 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup of stock - turkey stock, low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable broth (for vegetarian option)*
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
4 teaspoons drained, bottled horseradish (how to make homemade horseradish)
1/2 Tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 Tbsp minced chives
1/2 small garlic clove, minced.

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 400°F. In a large roasting pan, toss the parsnips with the olive oil, salt and pepper. (Use a roasting pan with sides no more than 2 inches high.) Add the broth, cover with aluminum foil and roast, stirring once or twice, until the parsnips are tender and the stock has evaporated or been absorbed, 20-45 minutes (depending on how tender the parsnips are to begin with). Check often to avoid their getting mushy - especially if they are to be reheated later.

Combine the softened butter with the horseradish, parsley, chives and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Toss the warm roasted parsnips with the horseradish-herb butter and serve.

The parsnips (with the oil, salt, pepper, and broth) can be pre-cooked in a covered container in the microwave for 5 minutes. Transfer to oven to finish cooking in a much shorter time. You may want to uncover them to help evaporate the liquid when in the oven.

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/roasted_parsnips/

Harvest on Henry Update

Please join us on October 19, 1-4pm for our third annual Harvest on Henry Festival. All proceeds will go towards farm operation costs. SeeHarvest on Henry for more details

Our Pie Baking Contest will be jam-packed with fantastic pies from home bakers all over Northwest Philadelphia. Think winning First Place is just pie in the sky? Enter your blue-ribbon pie and compete for exciting prizes! Read the rules and register here.

Saul students can enter the Pie Baking Contest for free. Emailharvestonhenry@gmail.com and be sure to include your name, address, student ID and type of pie you’re submitting.

For the event, we are looking for pop-up, shade tents. If you have one that you would consider loaning us for the day of the event, please contact Nancy Dearden at nancy.dearden@verizon.net

We are also looking for people to help on the day of the event with various tasks, such as selling tickets, overseeing crafts and games, and setting up or cleaning up. You can receive credit toward your 5% off working share for helping on the day of the event. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Nancy Dearden, at the above email. Thanks!!!

Orchard Field Trip

On Sunday, September 29, the Beginning Farmers from the Philadelphia Community Farming Collaborative (of which Weavers Way Co-op is a part), took a field trip up to New Paltz, NY to visit Lee Reich’s orchard. He showed us around his property and we saw Nan King cherries, paw paws, kiwi berries, Asian pears, hazelnuts, persimmons and more. At Henry Got Crops we have been drawing information and inspiration from Mr. Reich’s books and workshops for our own new orchard, but it was truly exciting to finally see it in person. Since we are growing many of the same varieties of fruits as Dr. Reich, it was tremendously helpful to see mature trees since ours are still very young, as well as taste-test their fruits! It was a beautiful day and it felt like a special occasion to be able to get out of the city and spend the day with such a fantastic group of farmers (pictured below, at Lee Reich’s house).

Juanita Falice's Thoughts on Henry Got Crops!

Juanita Falice is a senior at Saul High School. She is very active in the farm, whether it is during the school day with one of her classes, after school at farm club, or helping to staff the CSA pick-up and farm stand. She is also attending the World Food Prize to present on Somalia and agriculture and drought next month.

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and when I spend my afternoons over at Henry Got Crops, I can really feel the support from our shareholders. More often than not I’m actually out in the field side by side with a member weeding a bed or transplanting seedlings. My education may be academic based, but my passion is locally and sustainably grown food, and physically seeing my support system picking up their vegetables on Tuesdays and Fridays means the world to me. Like anybody else, I get a sense of accomplishment from my hard work when I can see where it is going and I have a feeling my classmates may feel the same way.
        Although many of the students at Saul don’t know the exact details of what goes on at the CSA, they are all benefit from it. Sometimes the mixed salad greens (from our very own Henry Got Crops) makes it’s way into our lunch rooms via the hands of one of the many students who have picked it. On those days, I don't know anybody who doesn’t want to try the salad. They may not realize it, but by eating that salad they are part of a community. A community larger than our school grounds that stretches to our local members.        
        Before I was exposed to urban farming I could care less where my tomatoes were being grown or why they were so unnaturally large. I didn’t care that my produce was drenched in pesticides and I surely didn’t see a value in locally grown food. Because of Henry Got Crops, I see that locally grown food ties the community together. Now,  I hope to study sustainable farming in college. I want to take the sustainable farming skills I’ve learned at the CSA , further them in college and then serve a term in Peace Corps with that skill. Now I encourage my friends and family to buy locally grown food.
        The orchard is a big step for Henry Got Crops and I am very excited to see how it furthers the student/member relationship and how it furthers education at Saul. Being that most of the trees won’t be producing fruit for a few years and I am graduating, I’ll have to return to see it’s progress. With the involvement of the students and members (along with Nina’s green thumb) I’m sure the orchard will be a wonderful addition to Henry Got Crops. I’ve already learned a lot at the orchard just from weeding the young samplings.
I am very glad that I have had the opportunity of working at the CSA all four years of my highschool career. I have learned so much and I’m grateful to our members for giving me the opportunity and direction that has greatly influenced my goals and aspirations.

Basil Parmesan Pesto

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken stock or veggie broth
1 pound dried orzo
1 cup finely chopped fresh basil
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
sea salt
pepper

Preparation: 

Pour the chicken stock or broth into a medium to large-sized pot. Place the pot on the stove and heat over medium heat until it boils.

Stir the orzo into the boiling chicken stock or broth, and cook until tender (about 9 minutes). Be sure to stir frequently while cooking to prevent the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pan. The orzo will absorb most or all of the chicken stock or broth while cooking. Do not drain.

Remove the pot from the burner. Sprinkle the cooked orzo with basil, parmesan, and crushed red pepper. Stir well to incorporate.

Season the mixture with sea salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve the orzo immediately, or store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.

http://spoonful.com/recipes/basil-parmesan-orzo