Week 6                       Geauga Family Farm CSA                    July 17, 2018 

The Fair Share     

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Relationships
Welcome to Week 6 of the of the 2018 summer season. This article was written by Laura Dalheim, one of our former farm reps. It was so well received, we decided to share it again in this week's newsletter.
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CSA membership is all about relationships. It's a relationship with the farmer who grows your vegetables, and a relationship with the people for whom you prepare those vegetables. It is also a relationship with the land on which they are grown.

At our house, we eat only organic food. We seek out restaurants that serve local and organic food. The farms, our homes and those restaurants all share the same dwelling, the earth. We all are related. Our nourishment is from the earth. As the saying goes, we are made of earth; to the earth we will return.

I spend every Tuesday with my 3-year-old grandson Luke. Part of our relationship involves teaching him to eat good food and being outside as much as possible. Luke loves to spend time in my small vegetable garden with me. As we head out the door, he tucks his little hand in mine and says, "Let's go check out the garden." I always take him up on his invitation, even in a soft rain. 

For Luke, every day is a day of discovery, or re-discovery. His relationship with nature includes the flora and fauna on the path to the garden. He pauses along the way to feel the Lamb's Ear growing in the flower bed and tells me again how soft they are. He walks up the steps to see if the tiny tree frog is still living in the flower pot under the rain chain and checks on the status of the bird feeder to make sure the birds have enough sunflower seeds.

We wander the garden and eat whatever is in season. Peas he has to be cajoled into eating on his plate at dinner he happily picked and ate earlier in the summer. When the cucumbers finally produce, I hope he will look at them with a new eye as well. Luke's relationship with the world around him isn't limited to the garden. We leave the fenced-in area and continue our tour into the yard and woods. He has almost singlehandedly cleaned the currant bush of its fruit and eats every blueberry he finds. He is waiting impatiently for the apples and peaches to ripen.

While Luke doesn't really understand this for the relationship it is, whether it's crops we've tended, plants given freely by nature, or small wildlife we've encountered along the way, he enjoys them all equally.

Luke and I invite you to join us, to come along on this adventure with us, and to expand upon your relationship with all the life on the land that feeds you. You have already taken a big step toward beginning that relationship by supporting Geauga Family Farms. 

You understand that all life on the planet matters and you have taken responsibility for your food relationship with land and nature by eating local organic produce. You possibly go beyond that and even buy from other organic farms in your community and supplement from grocery stores that purchase local organic produce. 

You can further expand on these relationships by speaking to your legislators about your feelings on agricultural policy and by insisting that local organic foods be served in your schools, workplace and in the restaurants you frequent.

You're already off to a great start. We are thankful for our relationship with you, and we hope you enjoyed this rerun of an article from last year.

Warmly,
John Egan, Constance Hendrick  and the farmers and families of Geauga Family Farms
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In this week's shares  
Look for some of these items in your share this week:
  
Blueberries, cabbage, yellow squash, zucchini, medium or large tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, red and golden beets, kohlrabi, kale, lettuce (green leaf, red leaf, romaine), broccoli, cauliflower, Asian greens, beans, peas, pickling cucumbers, English cucumbers,  Swiss chard and basil.

NOTE:  You will not receive all of the types of produce lisnapted above. This is a list of possible items. Different size shares and shares received at different times of the week may include different items.
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Now in our farm store  
Want to add some produce favorites to your weekly share? You'll find the following items, and more, in our farm store  here. Look for many more items as we progress through the season. Remember, we always have eggs, bread, maple syrup, honey, jams and other items available in our farm store.
 
Beets - 1 bunch for $3.50 
Lettuce: Romaine, Red or Green Leaf - $3 
Broccoli - 1 $3.75  
Asian greens - $3.25 bunch 
Collard Greens - $3.75  
Chives - $2.25 
Cucumbers - 1 for $2.25   Swiss chard - $3.75 
Green Cabbage - lg. $3.75   
Tomatoes - Large $3.25, Medium $2.50    
Green garlic - 1 for $1.75, 2 for $3  Yellow squash - $2 
Kale - 1/2 lb. $2.50, 3/4 lb. $3.50  Zucchini - each $2.10,  (2) $3.50  
Kohlrabi - $3.50   Basil - 1 Bunch $3.50
 
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Recipes
We include recipes each week using the items in your share. While we always find great recipes to share, we'd love for you to send us your favorite recipes as well. We will include them in the next newsletter. Please e-mail them to JEgan@geaugafamilyfarms.org.

Creamed Chard & Spring Onions
You can swap cream or half and half for all or a portion of the milk, if you want this to be extra lush. You could also stir in a few tablespoons of grated Parmesan. 
1 1-pound bunch Swiss chard, thick stems removed and leaves sliced into ribbons
3 spring onions, ends trimmed, white and some green parts sliced into thin coins, or any onion, chopped
3 Tbsps. butter
3 Tbsps. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups milk
Salt and pepper
Wash your chard, but no need to dry it, just place it in a large pot over high heat. Cook, covered, with just the water clinging to leaves, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 6 minutes.
Press or squeeze out the excess liquid any number of ways, either by wringing it out in cheesecloth (my favorite method), putting it in a mesh strainer and pressing the moisture out with a spatula or large spoon or letting it cool long enough to grab small handfuls and squeezing them to remove as much water as possible.
Wipe out the large pot so you can use it again. Heat milk or cream in a small saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until warm. Keep warm. Meanwhile, cook onion and garlic, if using, in butter in your wiped-out large pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about six minutes. Whisk in flour and cook roux, whisking, about three minutes. Add warm milk or cream in a slow stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, and simmer, whisking, until thickened, three to four minutes. Stir in chard, then salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, until heated through.
NOTE: To make Creamed Chard and Spring Onion Pasta: Use 1 3/4 cups of milk instead of 1 1/4 cups. Stir 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan into the sauce while cooking, and keep extra on hand for serving. This should be enough to toss with about half a pound of pasta (more or less depending on how saucy you like yours).
Recipe from SmittenKitchen.com

Baked Kohlrabi Fries, 2 ways
2 kohlrabi roots with stems removed 
2 Tbsps. melted coconut or olive oil 
Sea salt or kosher salt
Chili powder & ground cumin
Preheat oven to 425 °.
To prepare kohlrabi, wash and then peel. It is a hard and large root, so be careful. I would recommend holding your root against your cutting board and peeling straight onto that instead of into the sink. Then cut the kohlrabi into "fry-sized" sticks. First, cut the root in half and then with each half, cut the sticks.
Toss kohlrabi with a generous pinch of salt and the coconut oil on a baking sheet (I also think they might get more crispy if you put the coconut oil on the baking sheet, then placed the kohlrabi on top instead of tossing it together).
Optional (but delicious): Sprinkle with lots of chili powder (basically until they look pretty well covered) and a smaller amount of ground cumin (these aren't "spicy" spices, so you don't have to worry too much about the heat).
Bake for 30 minutes, flipping or shaking around once in the middle. Eat with ketchup or other dip of choice.
Recipe from Lizzyinthekitchen.com

Sweet Beet Pancakes 
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
3 Tbsps. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
½ Tsp. kosher salt
2 medium beets, roasted & pureed (about ¾ cups)
1¼ cup milk
⅓ cup plain greek yogurt
1 large egg
3 Tbsps. melted butter or coconut oil
1 Tsp. vanilla extract
Sift the first 5 ingredients into a bowl.
Place the rest of the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk thoroughly to combine.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until just combined (you don't want to over-stir the batter - some lumps are good).
Drop about 2 Tbsps. of the pancake mixture onto a greased griddle or pan over medium heat and cook for 3 minutes on each side.
Serve with desired accompaniments - butter, syrup, honey or jam.
Recipe from OvenLoveblog.com

Roasted Beets with Balsamic Glaze

3 medium-sized golden beets, tops removed

3 medium-sized red beets, tops removed

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. honey or maple syrup

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350°. Scrub outside of beets, then wrap each beet in aluminum foil. Place foil-wrapped beets on a baking sheet, and bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, or until the beets are soft when pierced with a fork.

Remove beets from oven and let cool until cool enough to handle-about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the vinegar, honey or maple syrup, salt and pepper in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until thick and bubbly-about 3 minutes.

Using clean hands, rub off the peels of the beets, or alternatively, use a sharp vegetable peeler to peel off the peels. Slice the peeled beets into 1/4-inch rounds. Layer rounds on a platter, then drizzle with the glaze before serving. Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.

Recipe from Wholefully.com

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Area events
  
CSA Cooking Class #2 

Fresh from Geauga Family Farms
Friday, July 20, 6 p.m.
Loretta Paganini School of Cooking, 8613 Mayfield Road, Chesterland

Cost: $45 for members, $65 for nonmembers (The extra $20 covers the cost of a week's share, which is sent home with the student.)

Using products delivered straight from Geauga Family Farms Community Supported Agriculture shares, attendees will prepare and take home the week's share for several wholesome and delicious dishes. Not a member, no problem! Try out a CSA program for one week! 
 
Take the class time to clean, cut and store all of your vegetables for a week of meals at home if you like, or simply learn the skills and techniques to do so. Chef Kate will lead the group in all aspects of preparation, packaging, will offer tips on handling and storage, and demonstrate how to make several dishes as she prepares a tasty meal for the group. If you've ever been stumped by how to use the surprise items in your CSA, this is the place to find inspiration!

Class menu:  Marinated Vegetable Skewers; Mixed Greens Salad with Pickled Vegetables; Garden Risotto; Summer Berry Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream. 
 
For more information or t o sign up for the classes, click  here .
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Local food, farming, environment in the news
We have so many things we'd like to share with you regarding the local food movement, what is affecting the food you eat and the world around us, and much, much more, but we don't want to make our newsletter any
longer. So, we include links to articles you may find interesting. Here are a few. If you run across any articles you find interesting and think other members would be interested in reading, feel free to send us the link for inclusion in an upcoming newsletter.
CONTACT US
(Between the regular business hours of 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Saturday ONLY PLEASE!)
 
Farm Representative

John Egan, 440-749-6137, JEgan@GeaugaFamilyFarms.org  
Constance Hendrick, 214-636-0335, CHendrick@geaugafamilyfarms.org

Geauga Family Farms, Middlefield, Ohio 44062