Erehwon Farm CSA Newsletter Week 9 of 19  August 7, 2005 Farm Report As you know, no change on the rain front.  The good news is that some of the weeds are not growing as fast. We have been harvesting the weeds, trying to get them before they go to seed, and putting them into our compost pile in order to keep it running at about 150-160 degrees inside.  At this rate we will have a nice bit of finished compost to spread on in the spring.  We had some hard working volunteers this week:  Robin Migalla and her granddaughter Olivia picked beans, Jenny Gresko came one morning and we formed the ALF (Asparagus Liberation Front), the Kulzers pulled weeds, Linda McDonald brought some family members from California and we liberated the blueberries and the raspberries.  Rebecca LaGesse helped pick a bushel of beans. Next year we should be able to offer some fruit to subscribers thanks to the efforts of our volunteers. Beth had some great success at the farmers’ markets this week – she sold about 40 flower arrangements at each market. If you would like one of her arrnagements, we can deliver you one or you can buy one at the farm on pick-up day. We continue to add subscribers on a prorated basis and it is possible that we will reach our target of 75.  One our  subscribers nearly got smacked by a big truck as they were turning into our driveway so get those turn signals on, tap the brakes a few times, stick your arm out the window and be safe! A few subscribers have failed to pick up their orders at the farm and we would like to get all the veggies distributed.  If you can’t get to the farm on time, call Beth’s cell phone 630-346-1503 and she’ll make a bag for you and leave in a cooler.  Also, if you are out of town, you can ask a friend to pick up the order. Seed Saving:  If you get one of the larger heirloom tomatoes and like the taste, you can save some seeds to plant  next year.  Just squeeze out the seeds into a little bowl with some of the tomato insides.  Add a little water and let sit a few days until you get a yucky white mold forming on top.  Rinse the seeds with water and discard any seeds that float.  If you forget to check for a couple of weeks and find that the white mold has turned black, go ahead and save the seeds anyway. Dry the seeds and put into a cool dry place and plant next year. From Your Garden This Week Standard shares should include: Tomatoes (Sun Gold sweet cherries and Juliet large grapes, Santas, and a few larger ones.   White golf-ball sized tomatoes are Dr. Carolyn.  If you get some that are not quite ripe, just leave them on the counter for a day or two.) Lettuce Beans: Yellow or purple or green (We have a good supply of beans this week so anyone who would like to pick some extra may do so.)  If you want to purchase in bulk, they are $2/ lb. Basil (As always, you can indicate pesto-size if you want a big bag) Peaches (We should have them for delivery customers this week) Extras:  Pick  3 or 5 for jumbo subscribers Summer squash (You may have all you like – delivery customers should specify the number of pounds) Carrots Eggplant Mini cabbage Fingerling potatoes Beets Baby beet greens( I’ll thin out our latest planting and give you some super-tender babies for snacking on or putting into your salad.  Note: Last week our sophisticated order-harvest integration system broke down and we put in the wrong beets.  This week we will get it right.) Kale Chard Spinach (Missed last week as the spinach row croaked between the time I wrote the NL and Tuesday.  Can’t get any this week either) Peppers (Sweet or Hot) (If you want a large quantity, just specify how many you would like) Cucumbers (maybe) Tomatillos Herb List Dill,(You can have a big bag of dill this week) Basil—regular, lemon, lime, Thai, dark opal (purple with a wonderfully strong flavor)(pesto sized bag available if you ask) Chives, Cilantro, Lemon Balm, Marjoram, Mint—spearmint, Oregano, Parsley—flat leaf or curled,  Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, Winter Savory Pages from Grandma Beth’s Cookbook (omitted from last week’s NL) I asked Tim what vegetable I should do recipes for this week. His response was “Beans.” I told him they were so good raw that there was no need for a recipe. I won’t repeat what he said at that point. Anyway, fresh beans are good raw. Serve them with dip as a snack or an appetizer or cut them up and add them to salad. You could probably use them raw in a three bean salad as well. But if you are going to cook with them ,my philosophy is to keep it as simple as possible. Bean casseroles are for canned or frozen beans, not fresh. Boil them or steam them (see below) and serve with herbed butter or grated cheese. (You can get kids to eat almost anything if you serve it under their favorite cheese!) Add sliced or slivered almonds for extra texture. It is possible to cook beans in the microwave. My mother, the queen of cooking things the old- fashioned way (the only two cookbooks I ever knew her to use were The Victory Garden Cookbook and the 1950 edition of Betty Crocker) used to swear by this. Wash the beans, but do not dry them. Place them wet in a microwaveable dish and cover tightly. Microwave a couple of minutes at a time until the desired degree of doneness is achieved. The water on the beans is enough to steam them perfectly. By the way, the purple beans will turn bright green when you cook them, much to my disappointment Pages from Grandma Beth’s Cookbook Okay, we’ve got lots of beans—purple, green, and yellow. Besides being wonderful fresh, beans freeze very well. So if you are tired of fresh beans, freeze up a bunch and you can enjoy Erehwon’s bounty for months. Freezing Beans Wash green beans, snip off tips, and sort for size. Cut or break into suitable pieces or freeze small beans whole. Blanch 3 minutes. Chill in ice water. Pack tightly in freezer bags or rigid containers. Squeeze as much air as possible from bags before sealing. Leave 1/2 inch headspace for expansion in containers. To blanch vegetables in boiling water, start counting blanching time as soon as the vegetable is placed in boiling water. Blanch no more than 1 pound of vegetables per gallon of boiling water at a time. Immerse wire basket or mesh bag with vegetables in boiling water. Cover and blanch for required time. Cool immediately in ice water for the same time as for blanching. Drain thoroughly. We Get Mail Hi Tim! Last week, the tomatoes rocked! They are the best, the most incredible. So were the beets, and carrots and kale. You sure can grow them! This week, may we have - of course, beets and beet greens, carrots – and may I purchase spinach, carrots and cucumbers – if you have them. Also, I was wondering, the week of the 8th of August, if we could pick our veggies up on the 8th, instead of the morning of the 9th. Maybe around 3ish? We are trying to make all we can of our holiday – we are only going to Wisconsin, but hey, it is something. Let me know about this and how much money to leave with the compost – but not in the compost. If you come to the farm and decide to take home some compost, keep your eyes peeled for a few George Washingtons or Jeffersons that might be in there.  tf Onions, two pounds summer squash, pesto-sized bag basil--extras for this week. We're enjoying your bags of great goodies, especially last week's new red potatoes which I made into a wonderful potato smash based on a recipe I saw on the food channel... Jane Halteman Hm…reminds me of the comic who takes up a great hammer and pounds all sorts of fruits and vegetables to smithereens.  Doesn’t it make cleaning the kitchen quite a chore with potato bits all over the walls? tf Hello Tim! The eggplant I picked up on Friday died before we could cook it up. Not being the veggie specialist that you are, I am hoping you can tell me what I did wrong. I always keep squash, potatoes, and eggplant on my counter instead of in the refrigerator. Is this why the eggplant died? Do they need to be refrigerated? What about the squash? Thank you oh veggie guru for any wisdom you may share with me! Jeanine, I checked on the eggplant – should be in the fridge.  We may have picked the one you got when it was past its prime – the skin should be shiny and not dull.  Potatoes keep best in the dark, cold with high humidity.  Squash should probably be in the fridge in a plastic bag (open a little) so they don’t go soft. Tf : wannabe veggie guru Hi Tim- We've really been loving our veggies this week (with the exception of the weeds that Eva picked/bagged) and we can't wait to come by the farm again to "restock" soon. I wanted to send along some more recipes that feature many of the goodies now in season. The first is a borscht (really more a veggie soup, in my opinion). It highlights carrots, peppers, beets, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, lots of dill, etc. http://soup.allrecipes.com/AZ/Borscht.asp The second ia a curry that includes eggplant, zucchini, carrots, peppers, spinch, etc. http: //vegetarian.allrecipes.com/AZ/MarrakeshVegetableCurry.asp We also made a great "nicoise- inspired" salad with the lettuce, beans, potatoes, and tomatoes from this week (YUM!) Thanks again! -Corrie Thanks for contributing the recipes and helping us pick!  tf Thanks, Tim, for the OD TAPO IMI concert alert! Our family will definitely try to be there, although we will be arriving a bit late, as the studio is hosting a student art show from 3-4:30 P. M., and I need to help set up, etc. We are looking forward to hearing some great steel drum playing! … We are really enjoying the fresh veggies from the farm every week, and it's been great to try the new recipes that subscribers have posted in the newsletter! We tried the hummus recipe and it was very good-- we added a little chopped cucumber and a little celery salt for something different. We've also really enjoyed working on the farm, and meeting you, Beth, and all the nice volunteers and subscribers that hang around on Fridays. Thanks for everything! See you soon! Karen Kulzer Yep, everyone, including our underpaid workers,  wants to hang around under the tent on Fridays to watch the subscribers pick up their veggies.  In fact it’s beginning to resemble a coffee house on the Champs Elysee!