Greentree Naturals CSA Newsletter - October 1, 2014

Fresh from the Garden News

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts."
- Rachel Carson

I suspect that we all have mixed feelings about this being the last CSA delivery of the season. Maybe glad to not have to figure out how to eat all those weekly veggies, but sad to not have the farm fresh food coming in. I know it can be a bit overwhelming at times, but truly, you get your money's worth of certified organic vegetables and you likely eat more veggies while the CSA is happening. And hopefully, you managed to freeze a few things that were extras at the end of the week.

I will email an end of season survey later to get input and comments about this season. It always helps me and we do care what you think. It also lets me know if you want to continue as a Greentree Naturals CSA member or not.

We are starting to do garden clean up, pulling up plants and pea fencing in the area where we are going to be planting our fall garlic crop. The push is on to put the gardens to rest for the winter so we can also rest. Looking forward to the peace that comes with wintertime and wishing you all good health until we meet again. Take care of yourselves and thank you for supporting this local farmer!

WHAT'S IN THE BAG:

Baby beets

Carrots

Green onions

Assorted sweet peppers

Oriental eggplant—Excellent grilled!

New potatoes—From Simon Ronniger (if you want to stock up for winter, he is certified organic and sells at the Saturday Farmers Market)

Melon

Heirloom and Sungold tomatoes

Winter Squash—"gold nugget"; cut in half and roast; add small pieces to salads or toss with cooked grains and kale.

Garlic

Cucumbers—slicer and lemon types

Recipe: Tomato Cucumber Salad

Chop up 1 large tomato, a handful of cheery tomatoes, a few green onions and a little sweet red pepper. Slice a cucumber into thin strips. Mix well. Salt and pepper lightly

Adding a little rice or red wine vinegar is a nice flavor.

Recipe: Rice Eggplant, and Carrot Medley

Cook 1 cup of rice of choice

While the rice is cooking, sauté in olive oil:

Eggplant—sliced in 1/4" thick then cut those rounds into four long strips.

Carrots—slice and dice 1 or 2 carrots

Peppers—cut, remove seeds, slice in long strips.

Add 3 cloves garlic and 3 green onions (use the green too) and sauté until tender.

Add cooked rice and stir well. Salt and pepper to taste.

This is excellent as a side dish or main dish and something I make often. Makes great leftovers!

Recipe: Tortellini with Eggplant and Peppers

• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 medium eggplant (or several small ones) cut into 1/2 " pieces. Kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 pound cheese tortellini (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan (2 ounces)

Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat and add eggplant, bell peppers, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add garlic and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring for about a minute. Add the broth and tortellini. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the tortellini are cooked through and most of the broth is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Stir in parsley and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan.

Yum-o-rama!

Have a great winter!

Remember to eat your veggies!