Showing posts with label 2013 Summer CSA Sign-Up. Show all posts

Summer CSA Begins!

It seems that, and to quote one of our farmers here: "we've just skipped May altogether and headed straight on into June!"  Somewhat true; the first blistering temps of Iowa summer are here, but at the same time spring showers aren't over, in spite of flowers popping and the leaves fully unfurling (and the fireflies emerging!)  Observing the plentiful rains, you would think it's still spring, for sure.  Our veggies have been blessed and sprinkled with plenty of moisture to keep them happy and growing without too much effort for us on the hot and dry days.  Eyeing the forecast, however, there are many more storms awaiting.  But who knows, perhaps they will only be the dry, crackly heat storms that stay true to the arrival of summer.  Maybe summer is already here.

But one thing we know for sure....Summer CSA begins this week!  Thus begins the reign of 20 weeks of delicious organic produce, as wide a variety as you can get and practically any veggie you can think of (well, mostly!). 

Whether you are a returning CSA member from Spring or just starting up anew this Summer, our pickups are staying the same as they have been through spring:
  • Saturdays, 7:30 AM-12:00 PM at the Iowa City Farmers' Market
  • Wednesdays, 5:00 PM-7:00 PM at same above location
  • Thursdays, Around/After 5:30 PM at KirkwoodSchool for Children/Tim's Daycare
    • Note: if you cannot make it for Thurs. pickup, the folks at the school can keep and look after your box in the fridge until you can pick it up on Fri. or the weekend!
 
If you have not signed up yet for Summer CSA and would like to, there is still time!!!  Sign up with us electronically by clicking the "Sign Up" tab above and following the prompts.  It only takes a few minutes!

This Wednesday (tomorrow!) at the Iowa City Farmer's Market will mark the first official day of our CSA.  We please ask that you plan to pay the CSA amount in full upon your arrival for your first share pick up (unless you are a Work-Trader).  If you do not know how much you owe and/or would like a balance reminder/update, please let us know, and we can send you one via email.

For those of you picking up at IC Farmer's Markets, please bring a bag, box, tote, or whatever you like to carry your produce in!  At the Farmer's Markets we do our big CSA shares "buffet style" where you can walk through and pick and choose what you like from the selection we give you.  *Note: you will not be able to "trade" part of your share for extra of another item in most cases....we only pack so much for everybody to have (or at least have the choice to have) a bit of everything.


What to expect for Week 1!:

  • Braising Mix
  • Arugula
  • Bunch Spinach
  • Head Lettuce
  • Stinging Nettles
  • Asparagus
  • Spring Radishes
  • Bunch Asian Greens
  • Garlic
  • Cilantro

Can't wait to see you at market!  We all look forward to being your CSA farmers this year!

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Recipes

The Modern Martini (www.bonappetit.com)

This lime- and cilantro-infused cocktail will appeal to both Gimlet and Martini drinkers. We like to use Tanqueray for its strong juniper and spice profile. 
 
Ingredients

Cilantro-Lime Gin

  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 750-ml bottle London dry gin
  • 3 cups fresh cilantro leaves with tender stems
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Assembly

  • 8 lime twists or rounds

Preparation

Cilantro-Lime Gin

  • Combine sugar and 2 tablespoons hot water in a large jar, cover, and shake until sugar is dissolved. Add gin, cilantro, and lime juice (save gin bottle for finished product). Cover and chill 2 days. Strain into a medium bowl; discard cilantro. Pour cilantro-lime gin back into reserved bottle.

Assembly

  • For each cocktail, pour 3 ounces cilantro-lime gin into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Cover; shake until cocktail shaker is frosty, about 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled Martini glass and garnish with lime.
  • DO AHEAD: Cilantro-Lime Gin can be made 1 month ahead. Keep chilled.

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2013/06/the-modern-martini#ixzz2TyffsO1G



Stuffed Head Lettuce (www.food.com)

This is so easy and so pretty. It makes a nice summer lunch, just add some fruit. I like Homemade french or Italian dressing on it.

 Ingredients
  • 1 head lettuce
  • 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese
  • 2 tablespoons blue cheese
  • 2 tablespoons grated carrots
  • 1 tablespoon minced green pepper
  • 2 tablespoons diced tomatoes
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon minced onion

Directions:

1 Wash lettuce; remove core.
2 With a tablespoon, remove enough of the lettuce around core to leave a cavity 2 to 3 in diameter.
3 Save removed lettuce for another use.
4 Combine cheeses, carrot, green pepper, tomato, pepper, salt and onion, pack firmly into lettuce cavity.
5 Wrap lettuce head in foil or plastic wrap and chill until center is solid.
6 Slice lettuce into wedges.
7 Serve with dressing of your choice.
8 A few pieces of fresh fruit (grapes, strawberries or melon) placed on the salad plate is very nice.

Read more: <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/stuffed-head-lettuce-108868?oc=linkback">http://www.food.com/recipe/stuffed-head-lettuce-108868?oc=linkback</a>
 
 Stuffed Head Lettuce. Photo by mydesigirl
 


Garlicky Asparagus Flatbread (www.bhg.com)
 
Ingredients
  • 1 1 pound  loaf frozen pizza dough, thawed
  • 2 tablespoons  butter
  • 2 tablespoons  flour
  • 1 cup  milk
  • 1/2 cup  finely shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 6 ounces  mozzarella cheese, sliced or grated
  • 1 - 1 1/4 pounds  green, white, and/or purple asparagus, trimmed and cut in 3-inch lengths
  • 1 medium yellow squash, sliced
  • 3 tablespoons  olive oil
  • 5 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup  thinly sliced green onions
  • Honey (optional)
 Directions
 
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Grease two 15x10x1-inch baking pans; set aside. For flatbreads, cut thawed dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll each half to a 15 x 10-inch rectangle. (If dough becomes difficult to roll, let rest for 5 minutes, then resume rolling.) Press dough into prepared pans, pressing to sides of pans. Prick dough all over with a fork. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until very lightly browned.
2. Meanwhile, for white sauce, in a small saucepan melt the butter over medium heat; stir in flour. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add Parmesan cheese; cook for 1 minute.
3. Spread the white sauce within 1/2 inch of dough edges. Top with mozzarella. Lightly toss asparagus and squash with 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil. Spread asparagus on cheese layer. Bake for 10 minutes, until browned. Cool slightly.
4. Meanwhile, in a small skillet heat the remaining 2 Tbsp. oil over medium heat. Cook sliced garlic in oil, stirring frequently, until tender and beginning to brown. Remove from heat. Spoon garlic and oil evenly on flatbreads. Sprinkle with green onions. Pass honey. 


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Please tell us if you can't identify something on the market table, don't know what to do with a particular item, have a food allergy we should know about, or if you have other questions or comments. We love to hear from you! 
2013 Summer CSA 2013 Summer CSA Sign-Up
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Spring CSA...Last Week!

That's right...Spring CSA will be delivering its last week this week!  And let us tell you...it won't end without a bang.  We've been giving you all the full array of spring greens possible, and we hope you've been enjoying it!

What to expect:

  • Arugula
  • Salad Mix
  • Bunch Spinach
  • Bunch Kale
  • Bunch Choi
  • Sunflower Sprouts
  • Garlic
  • Stinging Nettles
  • Asparagus

It don't get much greener than that!

 Remember, CSA for the whole season doesn't have to be over....we still have our Summer CSA shares available!  There is still time to sign up and get veggies from us clear until October.  For more info, click CSA Info tab above or you can sign up above.

 In some brief farm news.....we are busy!  With the spring leaves here in the trees the season for harvesting, washing, and packing all we got (all day sometimes) has also arrived.  Now when all it seemed that we did was plant, we're trying to figure out when we'll do that exactly!  We have flats and flats of parsley and lettuce that needs planting soon, and we have begun planting our tomatoes!

In fact we're so busy....I might have to stop writing this newsletter!

Hope to see you at market!


Recipes

Beryn's Sunflower Sprout Salad  (www.rawlicious.co.za)

  • 1 Cup sunflower greens 
  • 1 Cup mixed sprouts 
  • 1⁄2 baby cabbage, grated 
  • 2 carrots, grated 
  • 1 handful walnuts 
  • Sprinkling of chopped dried figs 
  • 1 1⁄2 - 2 avocados, diced 
  • 1⁄2 C baby tomatoes 
  • 1 handful gooseberries 
  • parsley to garnish

Grate the carrots and cabbage first.
Combine the carrot, cabbage, sprouts, dried fruit, baby tomatoes and walnuts.
Top with diced avocado and gooseberries.
Garnish with finely chopped parsley.
Optional: Drizzle with a simple salad dressing of olive oil, lemon juice and honey.


sunflower-salad


Arugula, Tomato, and Goat-Cheese Terrine (www.marthastewart.com)

Ingredients

  • 2 heads garlic, separated into cloves, unpeeled
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 6 medium yellow tomatoes
  • 6 medium red tomatoes
  • 2 cups arugula leaves
  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 package (1/4 ounce) powdered gelatin
  • 2 cups fresh goat cheese, crumbled (13 1/2 ounces)
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place garlic on a piece of parchment paper -- lined aluminum foil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Wrap to enclose, and roast until soft, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool. Peel, slice, and set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare an ice bath. Core tomatoes, and cut an X in the bottom of each. Working in batches, blanch tomatoes until skin begins to loosen at the X, about 15 seconds. Remove, and plunge into ice bath to cool; drain.
  3. Peel tomatoes, and cut them into quarters. Place half of the red and half of the yellow tomatoes in a medium bowl for the salad. Add half of the sliced garlic, cover, and refrigerate.
  4. Remove seeds and pulp from remaining tomatoes, leaving only the flesh. Measure 1/4 cup of the seeds and pulp; cover and refrigerate for salad dressing. Discard remaining pulp and seeds. In a medium bowl, combine seeded tomatoes and remaining garlic. Add 1 cup arugula and 1/2 cup basil, and stir to combine; set aside for terrine.
  5. Place milk in a small saucepan, and sprinkle gelatin over it. Let stand for 5 minutes to soften. Bring milk to a simmer over low heat, whisking until gelatin has dissolved. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add goat cheese, and whisk until well blended.
  6. Line an 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap leaving a 4-inch overhang on long sides. Place 2 or 3 arugula leaves lengthwise in prepared pan. Spread one-quarter of the goat-cheese mixture in the bottom of the pan. Cover with one-third of the reserved tomato mixture. Repeat layering twice. Top with remaining goat cheese. Fold plastic over terrine to cover. Refrigerate for at least 8 and up to 12 hours.
  7. Right before serving, in a small bowl whisk remaining 7 tablespoons oil with lime juice and vinegar. Add reserved tomato pulp and seeds. Pour over reserved refrigerated tomatoes, and stir gently to coat. Coarsely chop the remaining 1 cup arugula and 1/2 cup basil, and add to salad, stirring gently to combine.
  8. To serve: Peel back the plastic wrap from the terrine, and invert onto a cutting board. Remove plastic wrap, and discard. Cut terrine into eight 1-inch-thick slices. Transfer to plates, and serve immediately with salad.



Making Rennet Cheese with Stinging Nettle (www.inspirewild.com)
  
*Native Americans as well as the Scottish discovered that stinging nettle can be used instead of stomach enzymes to make a very herbal softer to semi-hard cheese like a feta or gouda. 

Things You’ll Need:
  • 1 pound stinging nettle (YOU MUST USE GLOVES OR YOU WILL BE SORRY!)
  • Water
  • Saucepan with lid
  • Timer
  • Spatula
  • Colander
  • Bowl
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • Container

1. Place 1 pound of stinging nettle into the saucepan with gloves. Fill the saucepan with water until the water covers the stinging nettle. Set the saucepan on the stove top and bring the water to a boil.
2. Set a timer for 30 minutes. Turn down the temperature of the stove when the water begins to boil and cover the saucepan with the lid. Allow the water to bubble and simmer until the timer goes off.
3. Stir the stinging nettles with a spatula occasionally as the water boils and bubbles. As the nettles cook, the sharp hairs soften, making them safe for consumption. The water takes on a greenish tint and may appear foggy, which is only the excretion of the natural enzymes produced from boiling the nettles.
4. Place a bowl in the sink and the colander on top of the bowl. When the timer goes off, take the saucepan off the stove and pour the contents into the colander. The liquid will go straight through to the bowl, while the stinging nettle stays trapped in the colander. Remove the colander to expose the bowl and liquid.
5. Add 1 tablespoon of salt to the liquid in the bowl. If you notice that the salt is being absorbed immediately, add another tablespoon. Allow the mixture to cool.
Add the rennet to very hot not boiling milk and let it sit for several hours and you will have a nice soft spreadable cheese and curds.
If you are going to use the stinging nettle rennet with milk, use  1/2 cup of the rennet for every 1 gallon of milk you want to coagulate. Store leftover rennet in an air-tight glass or plastic container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Note: the high salt content of this rennet prevents cheeses that to be created that are ripened a significant length of time. After the rennet has been added the salt inhibits the ripening characteristics of the curd. It will work best for cheeses that are salted shortly after the curd has formed, and less salt will be needed during the salting step as well as less salt if you are brining.
Now that you have curds mold them and turn them into the cheese that you desire with the proper forming, weighing the cheese down adding additional flavors and aging. Basically now go forward with your favorite cheese recipe and enjoy!



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   Please tell us if you can't identify something on the market table, don't know what to do with a particular item, have a food allergy we should know about, or if you have other questions or comments. We love to hear from you! 

 

2013 Summer CSA Sign-Up stinging nettle cheese
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2013 Summer CSA is Open for Sign-Up!

Greetings everyone!  We hope you have all had a cozy winter and holiday season, staying warm with family and loved ones!  It's been a while since we've all been in touch, and even longer since we've written a full-length newsletter!  So I will waste no more time.

We here at the Echollective have been hunkering down, keeping warm, and taking advantage of this time of year to rest along with the land.  We have been grateful for so much snow (and rain?  In Jan./Feb.?  We'll take what we can get, I guess).  Nowhere near enough to break the drought, but it's something.  Our mulch-covered garlic fields lay blanketed in snow, and we're sure that our thirsty aquifers are appreciating so much moisture.  We'll need it to make up for the parching Summers we've had, and the ones that may come.

We've been far from completely inactive, however!  It's getting to be that time-- 2013 seed orders are in and we are starting to plan the farming season, dreaming of lettuce beds, cilantro bunches, asparagus harvesting and other spring vegetables soon to come!  2013 Summer CSA season Sign-Up is now also officially open!  Our Summer CSA season is tentatively scheduled to run from the last week of May, to early October, 2013.  Not to happen for some time, but we've decided to open up our doors for sign-up.  The early bird gets the worm!

Want a peek at what we'll be growing, and what we have grown in past years?

Click on "CSA Info" above to get a basic idea of what will be available during Summertime, or other seasons.  Watch out-- we may expand this list with more crops!

Sign-Up is super-easy for our Summer season.  By clicking our "CSA Signup" tab above and following our links and prompts, it takes less than five minutes to ensure your membership with our CSA and 20 weeks of delicious, healthful, naturally-grown and local food!

"What about our Spring CSA 2013?"  We are still organizing what we plan to grow for Spring and what the CSA's duration will be, so our Sign-Up has yet to be configured and opened for business!  It's that much closer than Summer, so we want to get the details just right.  If you are super-interested in getting veggies sooner than May, please email us and we'll put you on a tentative list.  In the meantime, you can always sign-up for Summer!

 With little to no farming to do, it's hard not to get fidgety, so we've been immersed in many projects and activities.  With so much snow, cross-country skiing has been a real treat on the 14 acres of open field where last year's produce once grew, and where our garlic sleeps under the drifts.  Rabbit-hunting has also been a boon!  We must have eaten three rabbit stews and roasts already.  We've all done an incredible job this winter eating the most ethical, local meat we've been able to hunt or raise.  Oh, and I should mention-- we also have chicken eggs!  Yep, Echollective has ushered in it's first official egg-laying flock of little bossy, colorful hens.  It seems not too unlikely that more Echo chickens could arrive, so our chicken tractor/coop combo building projects (there are two in the making) have been restarted with renewed efforts.

One of us recently finished pickling several of the wild-caught rainbow and brook trout we spent time catching all summer, pickling them with herbs like garlic, cayenne pepper and juniper.  It may sound like a strange food, but it's actually incredible!  Much like canned tuna, but it's straight from Iowa's rivers, not the Atlantic; and even more delicious!

We've also been nibbling here and there at local venison, or lamb and goat chops from other farmer friends who raise their own animals for meat.  We've enjoyed cuts of pork from the hogs raised and butchered right here at Echollective, Dr. Caporkian and Merlock (we can't thank those pigs enough!).  Our hog-specialist, Will Lorentzen, is hard at work bacon-curing, sausage-making, and pork-smoking.  Yesterday he just finished building a rudimentary meat smoker that procured us a super-tasty smoked loin roast!

What more can I say?  We've been eating right!   Now all we need to do is wait to grow veggies in the Spring.

Come to think of it, it won't be long until we have some new pigs.  This year, Will has in mind to set-up a Pork-Trade Program.  The basics?  Help with our hog care, and you get some pork!  No money involved.  Want more details?  Email us!  At echofarmers879@gmail.com.

Also, Echollective Farm is kicking off the very beginnings of its Shiitake Mushroom program!  In cooperation with Oak Savannah Mushrooms, we've all been inoculating a high number of shiitake logs in our little greenhouse.  The goal is to get to 500!  It still won't be at least 6 months to a year until we start seeing shiitake mushrooms, but it's certainly a beginning.  Who knows, maybe you'll be seeing the likes of a mushroom CSA next year?

Thank you for listening, and we hope to be your farmers this year!
2013 Spring CSA Sign-Up 2013 Summer CSA Sign-Up chicken eggs
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