Greentree Naturals CSA Newsletter - September 17, 2008

Fresh from the Garden News

It is remarkable how fast the seasons change. The birch in our yard are turning color and carpeting our yard with golden leaves. The goats are particularly fond of freshly fallen birch leaves and gobble them up like little vacuum sweepers.

Still no sign of frost here. Looks like we made it through the full moon without a freeze, which usually means that the garden will continue into October.

As the farming season winds down, this certainly doesn’t mean that the work list of things to do gets much smaller. Things just transistion into less harvest and into garden clean up. Everything has to be pulled, chopped, or removed to prevent habitat for insects to lay their eggs. This will take until the snow flies. We also plant the garlic in the fall, take the plastic off of the hoop houses, and mulch anything that remains in the ground.  

Overall, I would say that the garden has been productive. The cold and rainy spring is always a bit of a challenge, but I think everything caught up.

You are not getting salad mix this week. It just is not growing very well and there wasn’t enough to tease you with. I am hopeful that by letting it rest for a week that your final delivery will provide you with your last fresh salad of the season.

After a season of eating fresh from the garden, returning to the produce section of the grocery story takes a little getting used to. We can all spend the winter looking forward to spring and fresh food again.

What's Happening on the Farm...

The pumpkins are starting to turn orange, which means that the children from the Waldorf School will soon return for harvest. They came out to the farm in May and planted them. Details and some photos of the Pumpkin Project on our website. We are going to make our pumpkin patch available to children to come out and harvest for a minimal fee this fall. We often get phone calls requesting this and though that we would try it out this year and see how it goes.

What's in the Bag

• Italian Broad Beans
• A little olive oil and garlic and you have a treat to eat.
• Lemon Cucumbers—no need to peel them; I like to slice them lengthwise like a lemon.
• Ishokura Scallions
• Potatoes– Red Chieftons, German Butterballs.
• Basil and Dill
• Plums—From Jeff Rich AKA “Sprouts” at the Farmers Market.
• Corn—Sweet and organic!
• Sun Gold Tomatoes
• Golden Beets
• Garlic
• Cabbage—Green & Purple
• Sweet Peppers

Although we make every effort to deliver a clean product to you, we recommend that you to examine and wash anything that you receive from us.

Recipes

Things to do with Lemon Cucumbers

LEMON CUCUMBER DRESSING

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• 2 TBS grated lemon rind
• 1 small sour cream or plain yogurt
• 1 finely chopped lemon cucumber (seeds removed)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 TBS lemon juice

Serve over diced cooked potatoes or on a salad

LEMON CUCUMBER APPETIZER

• Mini bagels
• Whipped cream cheese w/chives
• Lemon cucumbers
• Lemon pepper

Split bagels & warm; spread with cream cheese; top with a cucumber slice and sprinkle with lemon pepper.

Sometimes I will add black olives and minced garlic...mix it up a little bit.

Fresh Sweet Corn - Certified Organic Corn Means It is Not Genetically Modified

Corn is a source of many nutrients. A medium size ear of corn has about 75 calories  and 1 gram of fat. It supplies carbohydrates, protein, potassium, and it’s a good source of dietary fiber. 

LOW FAT BUTTERY TASTING SAUCE FOR CORN….

• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 2 tsp butter (or butter sub)

Mix ingredients together in a sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes or until well blended.

Corn can be removed from the ear and used for chowder, fritters, puddings, soups and other recipes. When using corn for making any of these, figure about 1/2 cup of corn per ear.

Sun Gold Tomato Salad

One of my favorite things to eat this time of year is simple and delicious to make and you have all the ingredients.

• 1 pint of Sun Gold Tomatoes cut in half
• 3-4 scallions finely chopped
• 1-2 lemon cucumbers, seeds removed and diced
• 1-2 finely chopped baby bell peppers
• 1 clove chopped garlic
• 6+ leaves of Basil thinly cut

Mix everything together and add your favorite Italian style dressing or just squeeze some lemon on it. Sometimes I will also add diced avocado. This is a nice alternative to greens.

"What we plant in the soil of contemplation, we shall reap in the harvest of action."
          ~-Meister Eckhart