Greentree Naturals CSA Newsletter - June 14, 2006

Fresh from the Garden News

We have been so fortunate to have farm apprentices that are both excellent and wonderful year after year.They come here to Greentree Naturals to learn the nuts and bolts of farming.They come with a variety of experiences to find out more about producing food sustainably:sustainable for the land, the local economy, the consumers and the farmers. They have asked if they could partake in writing some of this summers newsletters so I suspect this will come in the next few weeks.

The full moon of June marks the beginning of summertime for us, although the true summer solstice is a few weeks away. It forever amazes me how fast everything grows this time of year, especially the grass and weeds! But, the garden is also progressing nicely. I suspect we will be harvesting peas soon.

The start of the season is always a bit overwhelming with so much of the greens in your weekly bag. Try to be creative with them, eat as much as you can, and know that it will make you a healthier person for the good greens! I will try to keep up with some new ideas for utilizing all those greens for you too. This week I decided to identify all of them for you in case you were scratching your head as to what all of it is.

What I do with the mustard greens is chop them up and mix with rice. They are spicy. Some people just like them in their salad, chopped thinly. Excellent with chicken sausage or pork in a stir fry. If you find that the Pac Choi is just too much to eat, chop it up and freeze it for adding to soups later on. Pac Choi can be substituted for spinach in most recipes and is often referred to as 'Chinese Cabbage'.

Be patient, we will start to get more variety as the weather warms up, and it most certainly will sooner or later... right?

If at any time you think that you might want to receive our farm fresh eggs with your delivery, just call or email me before Wednesday delivery and I can bring some for you.

Salad Dressings

Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/2 C balsamic vinegar
2 tsp honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
4 tsp cold water
6-8 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp each of salt and black pepper
Optional: 1/4 - 1/2 tsp herbs such as dill or basil

Warm vinegar and honey in microwave for 20 seconds or more until honey dissolves in vinegar. Add remaining ingredients and whisk well. Shake vigorously after pouring into a bottle and chill before serving.

Basic Vinaigrette

1/2 C extra light olive oil
1/4 C red wine vinegar OR rice vinegar
1 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp each oregano, thyme and mustard powder
1/4 tsp each black pepper and garlic powder
dash of cayenne and Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Salt

Shake, chill and serve.

WHAT'S IN THE BAG...

Everything has been double washed for your convenience!

• Salad Mix
• Kale and Swiss Chard
• Pac Choi
• Bambino Garlic is just baby garlic. Use up to where the stem gets too tough.
• Mustard greens
• Spinach - From Alicia at Penrith Farm
• Radishes - From Alicia at Penrith Farm
• Green onions - From Alicia at Penrith Farm
• Herbs - From Alicia at Penrith Farm