Tuesday July 7, 2009

Greetings Saratoga CSA Members,

Remember I began last week's memo with this:
"Once again this year, the heavy rains and hail in Columbia, Washington, and Rensselaer County have drastically diminished the perishable berries and leafy greens. Big Box stores have brought Late Blight into the area with the tomato plants they sell. Farming is risky enough, but producing such delicate fruit crops takes courage. This is precisely why we stick to vegetables. But lettuce and all of the baby greens can be demolished within a 10-second hailstorm."
I spoke too soon and unfortunately last Wednesday that is just what happened. It could not have been more than 15 seconds and the hail was in the form of little chips. But Brian reported to me the next morning that the latest spinach planting was destroyed, much of the lettuce was mush, and some of the baby greens were shredded. As those who pick up at the farm know already, a massive amount of rain continued to pour from the skies for approximately 4 hours. Route 40 was closed and Ruby (our sweet dog) suffered terribly with over 3 hours of thunder and lightning. The potatoes were under water and everywhere we could spot where those icy hail chips had sliced through leaves. The leaves of the eggplant and pepper plants show signs with numerous holes and bruises, but the fruits are not yet formed and so the plants will more than likely all rally once again. It always amazes me how resilient plants are. Corn can be almost knocked down to the ground and within a day or two, up those stalks rise towards the sun again - so keep your fingers crossed that within the next few days, we are all spared any more damage.

****With regard to the fruit share, please remember that only those members who paid for a fruit share are able to take it. Several members whose names were on the list did not receive their fruit share last week. Please let me know ASAP if your name was not listed on the fruit share sign-in sheet.

**** Please remember to tell those friends or relatives who are picking up your share for you when you are unable to exactly what they need to pick up. There has been confusion at the sites when someone unfamiliar with the process has picked up without having the information or instructions. They can always email me with questions. Thank you so much.

This week in your share, you will most likely find: Cucumbers, Carrots, Lettuce, Parsley, Beets, Mesclun, Swiss Chard or Kale, and one additional vegetable not yet determined.

Enjoy your share this week - Justine




Swiss Chard Side Dish (Serves 2)
("It will seem like a ton of swiss chard, but it shrinks a lot during cooking" says Elinor Brook)

1 Lb swiss chard (1 bunch)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp heavy cream
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan
Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F.
Wash chard leaves in several changes of cold water.

Pull the stems out of each leaf and cut stems into 1/2 inch chunks. Dry the leaves on paper towels or spin in a salad spinner.
Put the stems in a 2 inch deep baking dish that is large enough to accommodate all the chard leaves later (I use an 8 by 8 pyrex). Drizzle with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and mix well. Roast in the middle of the oven until the stems are tender and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Pile the leaves on top of the stems. Drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil. Toss with tongs and return to the oven. Roast until the greens wilt, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the cream, taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle with parmesan and return to the oven until cream is bubbly and parmesan is melted.


Another long-time CSA Member recommends the following:

"Slow Roasted Beets are a sweet yummy treat, great for lunch boxes. 300 degree oven, covered baking dish w/ a small amount of water, baking time varies on size of the beet, check with after 40 minutes. Allow to cool and then peel and dice. Dress w/ a bit of balsamic or cider vinegar, a drop or two a maple syrup, a dash of sea salt and a bit of olive oil. Yummy!"


Cucumber-Carrot Pinwheels

* whole cucumbers, unpeeled
* whole carrots, peeled

Cut cucumber in 3" lengths. Hollow out seeded middle section. Push a carrot into the hollowed out center of the cucumber. Slice the cucumber/carrot wheels into 1/2-inch slices. You end up with a cucumber slice with a carrot center. Try scoring the cucumber skin before using them in this recipe: run a fork lengthwise down the cucumber skin all around the cucumber. Actually, this method makes pretty cucumber slices with or without skin.


Cucumber Lemonade (Agua de Pepino)

* 1 cucumber, peeled and cubed
* 1 lemon
* 5 c water
* Sugar to taste

Add cucumber and water to a blender and puree. Strain. Add juice of lemon and sugar to taste. Serve over ice. Or grate the cucumber into the pitcher of lemonade. Stir well. Garnish glasses with a thin cucumber slice or very thin slices of both cucumber and lemon slit and placed on the rim.