The Golden Earthworm Farm CSA NEWSLETTER
"If you tickle the earth with a hoe she laughs with a harvest." -Douglas William Jerrold
this week's
HARVEST
Carrots
The first bunch of the season!
Qty: 1 bunch
Red Beets or Chioggia (pink) Beets
Wonderful boiled, grilled, or roasted to bring out their rich flavor. They're so sweet this time of year...
Qty: 1 bunch
Cabbage
Crisp cabbage salads and coleslaw are a summertime favorite in our house. It's a fantastic source of vitamins and minerals and cancer-preventing phytochemicals.
Qty: 1 head
Fennel
Try this week's braised fennel recipe- delicious!
Qty: 2 pieces
Walla Walla Onions or Garlic
These fresh onions are wonderful in salads (not too strong), or grilled along with some zucchini... Some of you will receive the first batch of our fresh garlic.
Qty: 1 bunch or 2 pieces
Zucchini
Green or Yellow, or a combination of the two!
Qty: 1 lb.
Lettuce
Qty: 1 head
Lettuce Mix
A wonderful mix of 5 of our top varieties. It has been pre-washed, but we recommend that you wash it just one more time before serving.
Qty: 1/2 lb.
Dill
One of my favorite herbs- I love it in salads, and it goes well with many types of fish.
Qty: 1 bunch
NOTE
Thursday pick-up Members will receive cucumbers in place of the onions/garlic.
Week of July 3, 2006 ~ Issue #7
HAPPENINGS news & musings from the fields
We have a beautiful box for you this week, so we hope you have some time to cook and share this bounty with your friends and family!
FRUIT SHARE NOTICE for Long Island Sites...
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! The fruit is for members who have SIGNED UP and PAID for the fruit as a separate share. IF YOU ARE NOT ON THE FRUIT LIST, PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THE FRUIT!
If we continue to have problems with members not receiving the fruit they have paid for (because other members have taken it), we will be forced to cancel the fruit share for the remainder of the year. We ask that you PLEASE help us remedy this problem so that our fruit share members can continue to enjoy their fruit.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for your cooperation!
From the fields...
The warm weather and sun has been wonderful for our crops out in the field... Everything has been growing like crazy!
Add your business listing...
As a member of our CSA community, we encourage you to advertise your business in our CSA Community Service Directory. It's free! Please sign up on our web-site at www.goldenearthworm.com/csacomm.htm
Please join us in supporting local, community businesses!
MIND, BODY, SPIRIT...
Kerri-Ann Jennings is a yoga teacher, painter, writer, and unabashed whole foods junkie. She is en route to becoming a holistic counselor.
"SPRING" CLEANING FROM THE INSIDE OUT
Last month, as green invigorated the landscape and the days grew warm and long, a part of my dormant self awoke. I found myself excited, delighted, and reenergized…just because the warm weather was here! Instinctively, I found myself making changes. To my diet, my activity pattern, and my home. Whereas in winter I wanted to hibernate in restorative yoga poses, in April I began embracing a more active yoga practice. I found myself craving lighter foods and seasonings, exchanging salads for stews and lemon and fresh herbs for earthier spices like cinnamon. One of my biggest seasonal breakthroughs had to do with moving a bulky couch that had divided my living area into dead space. All winter I had berated myself for not practicing a flowing yoga routine—a difficult task in my small sublet apartment. Last week, I pushed the large couch against the wall and transformed an unused TV nook into an inviting practice area.
Seasonal changes keep you fresh because they are relevant to your needs RIGHT NOW. Tune into what spring cleaning you can do for the health of your body, mind, and soul. What routines, objects, and thoughts are cluttering your life simply because they have become habits? You may find that just by listening to yourself, you naturally begin to make positive changes that seemed difficult a short, cold while ago. How many of us make New Year’s resolutions, but find that enforcing them (in the dead of winter) feels like a battle between your “bad” self and “good” behaviors. This is a perfect time to let changes and resolutions arise organically. Rather than setting a strict rule and trying to adhere to it, commit to improving your quality of life. Relax expectations of dramatic change and listen to what you really need. As your CSA box arrives bearing the first offerings of the season, take a moment to tune in to what you need now…
10 ideas to revamp your rituals
- Examine your routine—which parts do you enjoy more and which do you enjoy less? What obstacles can you remove to transform daily struggles into hassle-free activities? E.g., if you hate paying bills because you keep your checkbook hidden away and can never find stamps, consider moving to online billing.
- Rearrange furniture. Are there any objects that drive you crazy? A lamp that doesn’t make sense? A bag marked for Goodwill that has been a living room fixture since January?
- Listen to your stomach. What does your body crave? Be aware of your body’s needs and satisfy them.
- Let food nourish you…Prepare and eat fresh foods with that idea in mind, savoring the light, new offerings of spring as the most perfect foods for you right now.
- Take long walks.
- Spend more time outdoors.
- Let your body move how it wants to move—dance, play tag, stretch out kinks.
- Be mentally flexible—set aside notions of what you should do (a certain way you must exercise, foods you must eat), and identify what you want to do.
- Allow yourself to be still. Often it seems like we’re in constant motion; give yourself a pause to just enjoy stillness.
- Identify what nourishes your soul and gives you deep joy. Whatever it is, commit to it. Whether it’s being with your children, painting, spending time outdoors—whatever affirms your sense of life—make sure you do more of it (without a guilt trip for ignoring things you “should” do). Nourishing your soul is the most important should of all.
Mind-body-soul exercise
Sit somewhere pleasant, preferably outdoors or near an open window. Close your eyes and pay attention to what you smell and feel (new grass, fresh flowers, the breeze against your skin, the warmth of the sun). Tune into your body. How does it feel? Pay attention to your thoughts—are there any on repeat? Now visualize a better self. If you are feeling well, intensify that feeling of wellness so that it radiates throughout your body. Bask in the feeling for a few moments. Before ending the exercise, ask yourself what you can do to create a little more ease, joy, and seasonal refreshment in your day.
RECIPES from the farm & from our friends
BRAISED FENNEL
1 large fennel bulb or 2 small bulbs
2 tablespoons butter
1 small clove garlic, whole
1/2 teaspoon thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine, optional
Water and/or chicken stock, to cover
Trim stalks flush with fennel bulb and cut each bulb lengthwise into quarters, or halves, if using small bulbs. In a heavy saucepan large enough to hold the fennel flat in one layer, melt 1 tablespoon butter over moderate heat. Add fennel garlic, thyme, and toss to coat with butter. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add wine, if using, and chicken stock. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Braise for 15 to 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Stir in remaining tablespoon butter and salt and pepper, to taste.
A GOOD BASIC COLESLAW
1 medium head cabbage, shredded
1 large onion, diced
1 cup grated carrots
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup white sugar
1 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon dry mustard
black pepper to taste
In a large bowl, combine cabbage, onion, carrots, and celery. Sprinkle with 1 cup sugar, and mix well. In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, oil, salt, dry mustard, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Pour hot dressing over cabbage mixture, and mix well.