THE BEET : VOLUME 12, ISSUE 19--10.24.13

 THE BEET : VOLUME 12, ISSUE 19

NEXT WEEK'S CSA PICKUP WILL BE TUESDAY, 10/29, same time and place CSA pickup this week is Thursday, 5pm-7:30pm at PS 56 at Lewis and Gates

In this week’s BEET:

1. CSA Updates

2. Windflower Farm News

3. What is Happy Rich?? + Happy Rich recipe, Collard Greens Recipe

CSA Updates

• As mentioned above. please remember that NEXT WEEK'S CSA PICKUP will be on TUESDAY, 10/29/13. 
• Halloween potluck CANCELLED Next week there will be no Halloween potluck. The CHCSA core wishes you and your families a happy and safe Halloween!
• Winter Share Update You should have received an email on Sunday with information about the winter share from farmer Ted Blomgren. You can sign up for the monthly deliveries here.
• CHCSA Annual Survey Coming Soon Over two upcoming weeks the Clinton Hill CSA Annual Survey will be available for you to provide feedback on the core. Please make the time at least one of those weeks to sit down and let us know what you think of the CSA
• Would you like to be a part of the Clinton Hill CSA next year? The first step is to complete your volunteer hours. Those members who do not complete their 4 required volunteer hours per household will not be able to sign up for the CSA next year. There are a number of shifts coming up that desperately need volunteers, especially in the 4pm-6pm shift. Please sign up for your hours here.
• Volunteer cancellation If you need to cancel your volunteer shift, please email the distribution manager directly if the cancellation is within 24 hours of your shift so that she can try to replace you: information@clintonhillcsa.org
• Lewis Waite Meat Share pickup today For those who ordered by 10/20.

WINDFLOWER FARM NEWS

Delivery #19, Week of October 20, 2013

This week you’ll be getting either broccoli, broccoli raab, Happy Rich or cabbage, along with potatoes, Hakurei turnips, sweet peppers, leeks, a big red onion, a small garlic bulb or two, lettuce, spinach and a host of other greens (you’ll be able to choose from collards, kales, Swiss chard, tatsoi and our mixed bunches). This week’s fruit share, which is the last week of fruit at most sites, will include the Borden’s apple cider and apples. Next week you’ll get butternut squashes, sweet potatoes, fennel, carrots, peppers, red onions, your choice of either radishes, turnips or daikons, and numerous greens.

The farm season is winding down here at Windflower Farm. Nighttime lows in the mid-twenties are in the forecast for next week, which should kill all but the most hardy of greens. It’s been a lovely fall, and excellent weather for finishing off root crops, which are now nearly all tucked away in our root cellar. Some are earmarked for the final two weeks of the regular season and others have been set aside for the four winter deliveries we’ll make between late November and early February. If you haven’t had enough, consider joining us for the winter. The winter gives us a chance to rest, play, visit friends, and to make plans for next year that take into account this year’s successes and failures (soon, we’ll circulate a survey that will give you a chance to weigh in on this topic). We look forward to the clean slate that each new season provides. The past season’s incessant spring rains and related challenges will recede from memory, replaced with plans for the new season. Our cover crops and compost will renew and nurture the soil, freezing temperatures and our crop rotations will break up pest cycles, and the long winter will provide us with renewed energy and give us opportunities to share ideas with fellow growers.

Winter work days are shorter than those of summer, and they are quite different. The administrative work of running our farm has been delayed until the upcoming “slow” season, as has been the work of maintaining and repairing our equipment. My boys and I will be converting our third gas tractor to electric power this winter and we’ll also be building a small tractor of our own design, as part of our involvement with a bunch of farm hackers.  We started construction today on our packing shed renovation, which is a key part of our food safety plan. This phase involves expanding the building itself so that we have more space. The larger building will also have a concrete floor, improved lighting, bright, washable walls, heat and insulation.  As you can imagine, the winter packing team is especially enthusiastic about the project.

But the winter is not entirely without harvesting and packing days. Once a month we’ll prepare crops for winter delivery in what will be our 9^th winter season.

Happy Rich--What is it? What to do with it?

This week we may have the choice of a new green this year: Happy Rich. But what is it? Via 'gardening guy':

Happy Rich is a hybrid green created by crossing broccoli with something called gailon or Chinese kale. According to the Johnny’s seed catalog (www.johnnyseeds.com), it is just 55 days to harvest and produces lots of florets that “have an excellent sweet broccoli flavor”. My standard broccoli, ‘Diplomat’ is 68 days to harvest – about 2 weeks longer. I love the flavor of Happy Rich – and the name, even though it has not, as yet, made me rich.  I sometimes eat the leaves and stems, too. They steam up nicely, and the stems don’t get woody the way broccoli stems do. And if you go away for a week and the florets turn into full blossoms, they are still tasty! It produces until late fall.

Orecchiette with Sausage and Happy Rich Greens (from Eco Recipes) Serves 4

2 bunches of happy rich greens (1 bunch of leaves, 1 bunch of heads), stalks trimmed and sliced crosswise Salt 12 ounces of dried orechiette pasta 3 tablespoons of olive oil 1 pound of spicy sausage, casings removed 3 garlic cloves, minced Pinch of dried crushed red pepper flakes Quarter cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese Half-teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the happy rich greens. Cook until tender, yet still a little crisp, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the greens and set aside. Add the orecchitte to the same pot of boiling water and cook until the pasta is al dente. Drain the pasta and reserve about 1 cup of the water.

Once you add the pasta to the pot, heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and add the sausage. Break the sausage up with a spoon and cook until it’s browned. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, sauté for about 30 seconds and then add the happy rich greens and toss. Once the greens are coated, add the pasta and enough of the cooking water to moisten. Add the water — a quarter of a cup at a time, and you might not need all of it — and stir. Mix in the parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and transfer to pasta bowls. Enjoy.

Vegetarian? Use a vegan sausage like Field Roast, available at Whole Foods. The Italian or Mexican sausage will also serve as a great meat substiture in the collards recipe, below.

Kickin' Collard Greens (from allrecipes.com) Original recipe makes 6 servings

PREP: 10 mins     COOK: 1 hr     READY IN: 1 hr 10 mins

•    1 tablespoon olive oil •    3 slices bacon •    1 large onion, chopped •    2 cloves garlic, minced •    1 teaspoon salt •    1 teaspoon pepper •    3 cups chicken broth •    1 pinch red pepper flakes •    1 pound fresh collard greens, cut into 2-inch pieces

Directions

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon, and cook until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, crumble and return to the pan. Add onion, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until just fragrant. Add collard greens, and fry until they start to wilt. Pour in chicken broth, and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, or until greens are tender.