Chinese Cabbage

We haven't gotten much in the way of rain here in the Milford area but Andy says that they are getting plenty in Hillsboro.  He hopes it will clear up so they will be able to enjoy the beautiful fall weather.  He loves this time of year with all the colors in the trees.  And the fall crops are doing well.

The large light green leafy vegetable is Chinese cabbage.  There are so many ways that you can prepare it.  It can be used in salads, stir fries or even smeared with peanut butter!  I'm not sure about the peanut better one.  However you choose to prepare it...enjoy!

Recipe Of The Week: Chinese Cabbage With Chicken

Chinese Cabbage With Chicken

 

2 Tablespoons of oil

1/2 pounds of thin strips of chicken

1 1/2 cups Chinese cabbage, sliced thin

1/2 cup finely diced celery

1/2 cup finely chopped green onions

1 minced garlic clove

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons of soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 quarts of chicken broth

1 cup of finely chopped spinach

1/2 cup of thinly sliced mushrooms

 

Heat oil in large kettle and saute the chicken for 5 minutes.   Remove the chicken.  Saute the green onions, celery, cabbage, and garlic for about two minutes.  Add seasonings and the broth.  Return the chicken to the coup and simmer until done.  Add spinach and mushrooms and simmer for two more minutes.

 

Full And Then Some

No time for a newsletter or recipe this week because they were out of down visiting the English.  Andy and Lizzie say they will be back on track next week.

 

 

A Box Full Of All Kinds Of Greens

So far so good...cooler weather but no frost, yet.  Whenever frost does hit that will end the susceptible plants like tomatoes, beans, and peppers.  Andy will also need to cut the vines off the sweet potato plants.  The sweet potato itself grows underneath the soil surface and can take temperatures down to 20 degrees but you need to cut the vine off or the sweet potato will go bad.

 

The purple stems with green leaves is kale.  The bag of mixed greens is a mixture of mustard, mizuna, tatsoi, kale, arugula, pac choi, etc.  You can use them as salads or any other way that oyu fix and eat greens.  You can use these greens in making smoothies.  They jsut add ingredients as they go.  Using yogurt, cream, milk, a few bananas, maple syrup and /or stevia as a sweetner and a handful of kale or greens mix to round things off.  Try it, you miht like it.

Recipe Of The Week: Kale or Mustard Greens With Garlic

Kale or Mustard Greens With Garlic

1 pound of kale or mustard greens
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
1 Tablespoon of minced garlic
1/4 cup of water
salt and pepper

Wash greens thoroughly.  Discard the tough stems and tear the leaves into bite size pieces.  Heat the oil in a large kettle and saute garlic for about a minute.  Add water and bring mixture to a boil.  Add greens and salt and pepper.   Toss to mix.  Cover, reduce heat and stem kale for about 5-7 minutes until it is tender, but still bright green.  Cook mustard greens for 3-5minutes.

It's The Frist Week Of The Fall Share

If this is your first experience with the CSA...WELCOME!  I know that you are going to enjoy everything that you cook from all the goodness in our boxes during the Fall Share.

 

The red stemmed leafy green vegetable is Swiss chard.  If you have never had it you are in for a treat.  There are so many uses for it...use it in stir fries, soups, casseroles and even salads.  Be sure to check out Lizzie's Recipe of The Week.  The sweet potatoes are going strong.  Andy says that there will be a good harvest.  They really don't look like the sweet potatoes that you find in the grocery store but I can tell you they taste wonderful!  This could be our last bag of green beans with the weather turning cooler.  Andy promises to send them as long as he has them to offer.

Recipe Of The Week: Sauteed Chard

Sauteed Chard

 

5-6 cups of chopped chard

2 Tablespoons of butter

1 Tablespoon of oil

salt and pepper to taste

 

Cut stems off chard.  Heat butter and oil in skillet.  Chop stems into 1/4 inch slices.  Add stems and sautee for one minute.   Add the leaves.  Toss to coat.  Then cover them and let them simmer for 3-4 minutes or more.

 

I love chard.  I usually add a little bit of chopped onion and minced garlic.  Then right at the end I add some Balsamic vinegar.  I could eat my weight in this stuff!



Last Week Of The Summer Share

Fall Shares start next week.  Those of you that joined us for the Summer Share, we thank you and hope you will return next year.  For those of us with the Fall Share or All Season Share...we have 10 more weeks of good, hearty vegetables.  Andy says that the fields are full of wonderful, good looking produce.  Potatoes are plentiful this year.  Sweet potatoes and winter squash are looking really good too. As are turnips, radishes, kale, chard, and lettuce.  Broccoli is looking good as are the onions and garlic.

 

More About The Growing Methods

 

All the products that are used on the farm to 'band aid' the crops and help them ward off pests in times of stress are approved by the N.O.P> (National Organic Program).  Neem oil is probably used more than any other of the 'band aid' products on Cendamore Farm.  It comes from a tree in Africa and is not harmful to the beneficial insects.  Although it is slower in it's mode of action than some other products, Andy finds it quite helpful as long as the insect infestation is not too far out of hand.  Mycotrol O, Monterey insect spray and Dipel are beneficial bacteria that will affect insects and their eggs.  They are fairly affective against soft bodies insects like the cabbage looper or the potato beetle.  Surround and garlic spray work more by deterring insects away from our crops.  For some of the tougher insects like the cucumber beetles and the flea beetles they use Pyganic.  Pyganic does kill some of the beneficial insects and for that reason they use it only as a  last resort.  For fungal diseases we use Champ (a copper spray) and a few products that are made out of herbs and clove oils.

Recipe Of The Week: Bacon Potato Omelette

Bacon Potato Omelette

 

8 slices of bacon, diced

1 1/2 cups of peeled diced potatoes, 1/4 inch pieces
1/4 cup of finely chopped onions
1 teaspoon of salt
3 Tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley
12 eggs, beaten
2 Tablespoons of water
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil
cheese (optional)

Fry bacon until browned, drain on a paper towel.  Pour off all but two Tablespoons of the drippings.  Add potatoes and onions to the drippings.  Cook until potatoes are tender and golden.  Stir in bacon and parsley.  Set aside.  Beat eggs, water, salt and pepper.  Add potato mixture until well blended.  Heat oil in skillet and pour in egg mixture and potato mixture.  Cook, lifting cooked egg portion around the edges so uncooked portion will run underneath.  Cook mixture until mixture is set.  If desired sprinkle cheese then fold in half and slide onto a serving platter.

Oops!

In all the excitement of the week last week with Andy's letter I totally forgot to post a picture and write about the growing methods that Andy wanted us to know about.

 

Growing Methods

Besides animal manure and cover crops they also use fish and seaweed products in the soil.  These products are loaded with micro nutrients and trace minerals.  Andy feels that these help the soil stay healthier with less disease and insect damage.  And in turn he hopes that it will keep all of us healthier too,.  The order their products from a company called 'Agri Energy Resources'.  They use high calcium lime or gypsum to address the calcium levels of the soil.  It is essential to having good quality and good taste in the fruits and vegetables.  And he gives a little tip to all of us city dwelling tomato farmers...if our tomatoes are rotting on the bottom it is most likely due to a calcium deficiency.

 

We all need to be growing healthy plants.  If our plants are healthy and we eat them, hopefully with other factors we will be able to stay healthy.  But as we all know, some things are just out of our hands.  Weather changes and other factors can cause stress in plants, just like in humans, resulting in the defense systems being less viable.  That's when we come in with what he call band aids...a line of organic products that they use to suppress insects and diseases until the plant is doing well again.

Recipe Of The Week: Baked Sweet Potatoes

Baked Sweet Potatoes

 

Wash a few medium sweet potatoes.  Prick each with a fork.  Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 50 minutes.  Cut open and eat with butter and salt.  (We use butter and brown sugar at our house.)