2012 CSA week 10
September 19, 20122012 CSA week 10 August 8th
In The Box
2 heads Baby Romaine Lettuce
3/4 lb Green Beans
1 head Garlic
4 Zucchini
1 bunch Basi
1 1/2 lbs Tomatoes
2 pints Cherry Tomatoes
2 Cucumbers
1 lb Cauliflower (Mult. PAE, York, Fremont, GMG)
1 bunch Swiss Chard (Hawthorne, Catholic Charities, Sellwood)
Hello, A frantic week here on the farm and a harvest day that defied the odds. After losing several days to a broken irrigation pump I’m manically rearranging priorities as I try to make up the lost time. My knuckles are starting to recover from the repair process, but my to do list isn’t. I’m not quite sure how the crew managed to get everything harvested, washed, weighed and packed today but the walk in coolers are full and the crops are ready to go into the boxes tomorrow morning. To say we are running this season with a skeleton crew is an understatement at best and today the crew was two people shy of normal. One crew member decided to take another job and we lost Matt today to a debilatating allergy attack. The push on through spirit lived on through an afternoon cherry tomato harvest in the greenhouses after I decided two pints of cherry tomatoes are better than one and the carnage in the packing shed is a testament to an efficient and focused chaos. Rather than another week with no lettuce we opted for a premature romaine harvest (I know some of you go into convulsions without a weekly BLT fix) and some of the little gem romaine has some minor bug damage. In the early days or organics the running joke was that you could tell that it was organically grown if it had insect damage. Over the years the industry has done a good job of dispelling that belief, but I wonder at what cost? Today there is a veritable arsenal of products available for organic growers to use but in my mind that is not necessarily a good thing. Many of these products are as broad spectrum killers as their conventional counterparts and wipe out good bugs along with the bad. Our philosophy has always been to try to maintain a diverse, balanced farm system that would by it’s very nature keep the bad bugs in check. For the most part this approach is succesful and we rarely have to resort to the use of organic pesticides. In some cases we’ve chosen to lose entire plantings rather than resort to spraying. We’re starting to see some color on the field tomatoes but there might be a short window of no tomatoes in the boxes as the greenhouse tomatoes look like they’re going to crash before we see any sizable yields from the field. Not wanting to rob you of the summer cliche of too many zucchinis we’ll continue to load up the boxes for a while longer (methinks I might have overreacted to a slight zuccini shortage last year.) Melons, eggplants and peppers coming soon!
Enjoy,
Dave, Lori and the crew
CROP NOTES AND RECIPES Baked Green Bean Fries with Basil Aioli adapted from Savory Reviews (We’ve also prepared zucchini sticks the same way)
1/2 lb green beans 1 cup flour 1 egg 1/2 cup skim milk 2 cups panko bread crumbs 2 tsp garlic powder 2 tsp paprika 1 tsp onion powder Kosher salt, to taste pepper, to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Fill a large pan with 2-3 inches of water and bring to a boil. While water comes to a boil, trim the green beans. Prepare a large bowl of ice water and set aside.
Blanch the beans for 3 minutes and immediately remove them to the ice bath.
To prepare beans, gather three bowls. In the first bowl, combine the flour and spices. In the second bowl, combine the egg and milk, whisking to combine. In the third and final bowl, place the panko and season with salt and pepper. Remove 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture and whisk into the egg/milk mixture.
Pat the beans dry and dredge in the flour mixture, then into the milk/egg mixture, and finally into the panko to coat. Arrange the beans in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil which has been sprayed with non-stick spray or brushed with olive oil. Prepare all of the beans in that manner.
Bake beans at 425 F for 15 minutes, or until slightly browned. Yield: 6 appetizer or side portions (about 10 green beans).
Basil Aioli from A Cozy Kitchen
2 Tbsp olive oil 1/4 cup packed basil leaves 1/2 tsp lemon juice 1 medium garlic clove, pressed pinch of salt 1/2 cup light olive oil-based mayonnaise
Directions:
Process ingredients together in a food processor. Refrigerate until served. Yield: 9 tablespoons.
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