Week 1: A Member’s Field Guide

WEEK 1: A MEMBER'S FIELD GUIDE

Good morning!

I just got inside from morning chores - getting everyone fed and watered - and now sit down to write the newsletter over a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon, and kale! We made it to the first week of the share and there are truly some treats for you. But let’s back up. It was so nice to meet many of you last week for the preview. It always feels more real when I get to show others around the farm, and it’s a great time to taste test the vegetables as they grow up. I hope you find the table below helpful as you navigate through the contents of your share - this time of the year it’s a lot of greens, so I will focus on that in our recipes section.




Farmer Bio -- Megan Rulli

I grew up in Enola, Pa, and spent most of my free time through childhood and adolescence dancing, ballet mostly but also jazz, modern, and tap. After high school I attended college in Erie at Mercyhurst College, starting out as a dance major but later switching my studies to Religion and History. At Mercyhurst I became absorbed in environmental activism and really enjoyed it, working in defense of forests and to get a renewable energy fee established at the school. However, by the end of college I was ready to put my activist leanings into some more grounded efforts and decided to take an internship at an organic farm. This took me to Wilson College’s Fulton Farm, where I spent a season; the next year I joined the farm staff at Weaver’s Way Coop’s three urban farms in Philadelphia, learning to grow and prosper in small places. That fall I learned of an opportunity to farm a friend’s land in Erie and jumped at the chance strike out on my own, starting a 30 member CSA for the 2010 season as part of Wild Winds Farm. As my farming partner Annie and I were planning for the 2011 season, we both got exciting other offers - she to start up an aquaponics program in downtown Erie, me to come home and farm my parents’ newly acquired Piney Mountain Orchard acreage. So we went for the new opportunities and I moved back to Central Pennsylvania thanks to the openness of my generous parents. Today the farm includes a little over a half acre of vegetable production, a small greenhouse, seven chickens, three sheep, one goat, one puppy and many barn cats. Ralph and Diane, my parents, are always helping with the farm, whether to water the greenhouse or plow and mow the fields. It is a family effort and I hope all the hard work we put in is evident in the tasty delights at your kitchen tables.






CSA Shares 101

For some of you, this is your first time as a member of a Community Supported Agriculture farm. Welcome to a happy relationship between farmer and customer, where you get to take ownership in the farm because you invested early. I will be offering extras throughout the season, and if there is a time you need more of certain items please just ask. If you like to juice collards daily, for example, I can make sure that you get a heaping bunch each week it’s available, even if its not included in the traditional share. You are also welcome out any time for a visit, just let me know when you’d like to come by. But let’s get down to some more helpful details concerning the share:
1. Vegetables are field washed. This means I bring them in from the fields and soak and wash them in cold cold water. I recommend washing them again before use, because although I do not use harmful chemicals, there is a good chance there will be a little dirt left over and even a bug or two from time to time.
2. Getting the most use out of your share. I once attended a whole workshop on how to best use all the veggies in a share from a veteran CSA member. She said it took her a few years to get her routine down. Through this newsletter I will try to give you useful storage tips, but one thing she said has stuck with me. She would take home her share and wash and prepare it in the way she liked to use the veggies. She chopped her lettuce and prepared a large salad immediately, or sliced greens so they were ready to cook. And if something looked too large to use in a week, she got right down to preserving it for the winter. It will take a few weeks, but give yourself time to adjust to fresh produce and all its uses. Try new things!
3. Understanding and using the vegetables through delicious recipes - Each week I will feature 1-3 recipes, depending on the space available. My hope is that you can use these for ideas in your cooking each week, and perhaps even use the newsletter when considering your grocery shopping. The trick too is learning to substitute similar items to make full use of your share, for example garlic scapes instead of garlic.
4. Books I recommend - Here are some cookbooks that I can’t get enough of, which are designed for seasonality and ease of use.
Simply in Season - Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert
The unbeatable seasonal cookbook, including a guide to different vegetables in the front and labeled pages to make it easy to use all your ingredients - divided into spring, summer, fall and winter sections. Wide variety.
Moosewood Cookbook - Mollie Katzen
This is a handwritten vegetarian cookbook full of easy recipes. A classic.
Nourishing Traditions - Sally Fallon
This book is so much more than just a cookbook, it is also a nutritional guidebook and source for rich ferments, superfoods, and preservation. Many interesting uses for your vegetables.
Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables - John Peterson
A cookbook by a CSA farmer full of treats. Will be referenced throughout the season.
From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce - Madison
Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition
Another cookbook put out by the CSA community. A great resource.
5. Picking up Your Share - Your share will come in a waxed box most weeks. I get these from the restaurant I work at on the weekends, but the supply is not endless. Please bring back your box each week so I can reuse them. You could also bring your own bags and leave your box behind. Each box will be labelled per share.



Featured Recipes:

Sautéed Radishes with Radish Greens or Arugula (serves 2-4)
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 lb radishes, quartered
• 4 cups radish greens or arugula
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Salt
• Black pepper
Melt the butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add radishes, stirring constantly, until they are tender but still crisp, probably about 5 minutes depending on size. Transfer to bowl to cool. Return skillet to stove. Put the greens or arugula in the skillet with wash water still on leaves. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until just wilting, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off heat. Add lemon juice and radishes to skillet. Stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Source: Farmer John’s Cookbook
 
Napa Cabbage Salad with Peanut Dressing (serves 4)
Dressing
● 3 Tbs. smooth peanut butter
● 3 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
● 1 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
● 1 Tbs. brown rice syrup
● 1 Tbs. roasted sesame oil
● 2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
● ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Salad
● 4 cups shredded napa cabbage
● 1 small red bell pepper, sliced (about ½ cup)
● 1 large carrot, coarsely grated
● 3 green onions, sliced (about ¼ cup)
1. To make Dressing: Whisk together all ingredients in bowl.
2. To make Salad: Toss all ingredients with dressing in serving bowl.
Source: Vegetarian Times