Tuesday, June 17, 2008 Newsletter

Dear CSA members,

A gentle thunderstorm brought much needed rain to our crops. I am always so grateful when there is neither pounding rain nor hail. So I sat contentedly as the rain fell. Ever since I read the following article in Farming Magazine, written by a young woman who is attending Kenyon College in Ohio, I couldn’t wait to share it with all of you. Hope you enjoy it.

“In today’s so-called ‘global community’, the inconvenient truth is that the personal is often political, whether we want it to be or not. Each purchase we make presents us with a daunting array of considerations: does this company treat its workers fairly? What are their environmental policies? Does it endorse a repressive regime in some distant developing country? Is this food healthy? Is it genetically modified? What about animal abuse? Can I afford anything else?

Our purchases become political statements. We vote with our money.

So here’s another consideration: the distance a product travels between the plane where it’s produced to the place where it’s sold. For the average supermarket item, this will be anywhere between one and two thousand miles. To prevent it from spoiling during the trip, it is often treated with preservatives or color enhancers. In addition, the commercial farms that sell their products over long distances tend to use more pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics in the first place. When we buy locally we have the chance to choose farms that use fewer chemicals – good for soil and water, good for us.

It also takes an enormous amount of energy to transport products such long distances; after basic production comes packaging, preserving, shipping, distributing, and retailing. If we are to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels for political and environmental reasons, it is in our best interest to begin eliminating unnecessary energy consumption.

Local food also tastes better. It’s fresher; vegetables will be harvested when they’re ripe, not picked prematurely and left to ripen in storage. A big reason to buy local food, however, is to support the farmer a few miles down the road. He or she is competing against larger farms that sell to major retailers in an economy increasingly geared toward mass production and mass retail. It’s hard, after all, to compete when superstores offer combined advantages of price and convenience. But when independent local businesses are healthy, so are communities and the people who make them function. It’s the difference between buying a tomato at the supermarket that says “certified organic” by swiping it through self-check and buying a tomato from your neighbor and stopping to talk for a few minutes, knowing that it’s something they would feed to their own family.

A student’s time in college is short; our existences are transient. Often, I think, we limit our lives to the campus and never allow ourselves to become part of the villages, towns, and counties that surround us… Strengthening ties between the college and the area around it is something that would benefit everyone, and food is one way to do that. That’s why local food programs are so important; they fill in that void between the origins of what we eat and the finished product. They reconnect us with the land that supports us, “rooting” us with an awareness of place, a sense of belonging.

Knowing that we are active players in a global economy and, increasingly, a global society behooves us to be conscious of how personal decisions affect other people. Know what you buy. Know where it comes from. If you can, know the person who raised it or grew it. Local food isn’t really about food, after all; it’s about investing in the lives of people around us.”

This week in your share, you will most likely find:

Baby Lettuce, Swiss Chard, Scallions, Garlic Scapes, Broccoli, Sugar Snap Peas (string them and then eat the pods and all), Parsley, and Strawberries

Thank you all for your support and enthusiasm. Our lives are enriched because of you.

Take good care - Justine

Broccoli and Scallion Puree

1 Bay leaf

2 T Butter

Salt and Pepper

Pinch of Nutmeg

1 lb Broccoli

2 tsp. Lemon Juice

I bunch Scallions

2 T Cream, optional

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil with the bay leaf in a saucepan. Add 1 tsp. salt, then the broccoli and scallions. Cook until the stems are tender, 4-6 minutes. Scoop out the vegetables, discard the bay leaf, and reserve the water.

Puree in a food processor leaving a little texture. Add a little of the cooking water if needed to loosen the mixture. Stir in the butter and season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Stir in the cream if using.

Use it over rice or pasta. Eat it as a side-dish puree or make it into soup by

thinning with more water or cream, if needed. Try adding more vegetables for different textures (the garlic scapes, kale, and sugar snap peas would be mighty tasty) in both the puree and /or soup form.

Sugar Snap Peas

Sugar Snaps are “plump-podded peas that resemble shelling peas, but the pods themselves are sweet, tender, and crisp. They are cooked and eaten whole.” (Deborah Madison)

I think that they are terrific, once they are rinsed and strung, in a salad. Eat them as a snack and pack them (strung) into your children’s lunches. They are also very tasty gently stir-fried with shrimp and cashews and tossed with soy sauce.

Good Partners with Sugar Snap Peas:

Butter, dill, mint, basil, garlic, parsley, scallions, and turnips

Sugar Snap Peas With Scallions and Dill

1 pint sugar snaps, washed and strung

4-6 scallions, finely chopped (cut off both ends and wash first)

Salt and pepper

1 T. butter or olive oil

2 T. chopped dill (Basil will work very nicely as well)

Put the peas in a skillet with the scallions, a few pinches of salt, the butter, and enough water to cover the bottom. Cook until bright green and tender, for a minute or two (taste one to be sure). If using olive oil, add a little to the pan now. Season with salt and pepper. Then add the dill or basil.