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Cromwell Valley CSA Newsletter |
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For those who want to participate in work hours and end with a potluck and bonfire, you can commit to work one or more of the following Fridays from 4 to 7 PM: There are three Friday potluck options left: · July 30 · August 13 · August 27
For those who can’t make the Friday shifts, there will be work sessions on the following pickup days from 3 to 6 PM. These shifts are work hours only and there will not be a potluck following them. · Sat., July 24 · Tues., Aug. 10 · Sat., Aug. 21 To sign up for one or more sessions, please email info@cvcsa.org. Each session will have 20 spots, which will be assigned on a first come, first served basis. |
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(Picture courtesy of Flickr user thebittenword.com.) |
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CSA Work Hours Reminder |
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July 18, 2010 |
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Cromwell Valley Park offers a number of fun and educational workshops throughout the season. Check out the full calendar online. We’ve highlighted a few of the upcoming workshops below. Sign up now to reserve your spot for any of these fun activities down on the farm! For any programs not indicated as sponsored by CVCSA, you can contact the park office at 410.887.2503 or email info@cromwellvalleypark.org for more information or to reserve your spot. Unless otherwise noted, payment must be made to CVP within 5 business days of your reservation, or the reservation will be yielded to the waiting list. All payments are donations and non-refundable unless CVP cancels the program. Make checks payable to: Cromwell Valley Park Council (CVPC). Mailing Address: Cromwell Valley Park, 2002 Cromwell Bridge Road, Baltimore, MD 21234. For programs sponsored by CVCSA, email molly.amster@gmail.com to reserve your spot or get more information. Workshop details are below: —————————————— TUESDAY JULY 20 Join us at the nature center to learn why spiders are not insects and explore their unique traits. Includes a game, poem, song, craft, and hike. Ages 4 to 6 with adult. Reservations required. $2 members/$4 non-members. —————————————— FRIDAY JULY 23—SATURDAY JULY 24 Introduce your family to the camping experience close to home. Will include a night hike and evening campfire. Families should provide their own camping gear BUT, if you need a tent, we may have one for your use. Please BYO supper & breakfast will be provided. Reservations required. RAINDATE 7/24 to 7/25. $15 per family members/$20 non-members. —————————————— SATURDAY JULY 24 Enjoy the story and harvest your very own radishes from the Children’s Garden! All ages. Reservations required. $2 members/$4 non-members. —————————————— WEDNESDAY JULY 28 Become a bone detective! By examining bones we can determine what animal they belong to and a lot about the animal’s way of life. Join us as we take a look at the bones of different animals and discover what bones belong to which animal All ages. Reservations required. $2 members/$4 non-members. —————————————— SATURDAY JULY 31 Groups & individuals are invited to work with the CVP Trail Club to maintain & improve trails in the Park. Help clear trails & prevent erosion to keep our trails in tiptop condition. Ages 13+. Reservations NOT required. —————————————— SATURDAY AUGUST 7 Raccoons, skunks, and opossum have all adapted to living around people. What are their special adaptations, character traits, and behavior patterns? Learn this and more as we compare pelts, skulls, and prints. All ages. Reservations required. $2 members/$4 non-members. —————————————— SUNDAY AUGUST 8 The Cromwell Valley Park Council invites children of all ages to the Chocolate Chip Cookie Children’s Theater to discover the world of bears through Thirst ‘n’ Howl Musical Productions delightful retelling of this ageless tale. When Papa Bear loses his job at the Harry and Jerry Merry Berry Factory, Mama and Baby Bears take the Papa Bear and the audience on an interactive scavenger hunt through the neighborhood to introduce him to jobs he might be able to do. While they are away, Goldy explores their house, discovering how different it is from her home. Songs include “Get on a Bus”, “The Farmer’s Nose Knows” and “The Mailman Delivers”. This lively musical journey captures the children’s imagination for role playing a worker in their neighborhood and inspires appreciation of workers children meet every day. It also provides a background on bears that live in Maryland. Beginning at 5 PM, performers will assist children in making their own bears masks to take home. |
Highlights in this issue:· Work hours · Farm Update · Edible Weeds · Food profile · Recipes · Upcoming workshops |
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Upcoming Workshops |
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Sign up for one of many summer workshops at Cromwell Valley Park or CVCSA and learn while having fun! |
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(Picture courtesy of Flickr user thebittenword.com.) |
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On Checking for Ticks |
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If you are working in the fields or picking raspberries, you should be aware that farmers and fellow members have found ticks on their clothes and bodies after being in the fields. Deer ticks can spread Lyme’s disease, so you will want to make sure you check yourself and your children for ticks as soon as you get home. Use a mirror and check your entire body, as ticks like warm, damp places. For specific tips on looking for ticks, visit www.trails.com. You can also prevent tick bites by wearing light colored, long sleeved shirts and long pants. Tuck your shirt into your pants and tuck your pants into your socks so that ticks will be less likely to get to your skin. Ticks are common and can be found in any area where deer may be present. Ticks especially like areas where there is tall grass, bushes or overgrowth. Don’t let the presence of ticks keep you from going into the fields, but do use precautions and check yourself and your family thoroughly anytime you’ve been outside in an area where deer may have been present. |
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Food Profile: Bok Choy by Maggie Beetz |
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If you're a fan of Chinese cooking chances are you've already tried bok choy, even if you haven't heard of it. It is popular in Chinese cooking and can be found in ethnic grocery stores as well as most large grocery stores year-round (and at your local CSA!). Bok choy is a leafy green technically belonging to the cabbage family (it is sometimes referred to as white cabbage) though it does not closely resemble cabbage as we tend to think of it. Bok choy has long white stems and dark green leaves, all of which is eatable. It has many other names including bak choi, paak choi, Chinese chard cabbage, and Chinese mustard cabbage. Baby bok choy (or Shanghai bok choy) is just a smaller version of bok choy.
Nutritional value: Bok choy is a very healthy green, high in vitamin C, vitamin A, and calcium. It is low in sodium and fat and contains no cholesterol. A cup of raw bok choy contains only about 9 calories. (Source: http://nutrition.about.com/od/fruitsandvegetables/p/BokChoy.htm)
Storage and use: Bok choy can be wrapped in paper towels or plastic and stored in the vegetable drawer of your refrigerator for up to a week, or until the leaves start to wilt or turn brown. It is a versatile vegetable which can be added to soups and stir-fries, but is also tasty as a main ingredient. It can be steamed, broiled, sautéed, and even deep-fried. The stalks take longer to cook than the leaves so it's best to separate them and start cooking the stalks a few minutes before adding the leaves. A good method is to cut the stalks into small pieces. Stalks should be tender when ready to eat and the leaves should be just wilted.
Cooking times and recipes: Boiling: 3 - 4 minutes for the stalks, 1 - 1 1/2 minutes for leaves Steaming: about 6 minutes for the stalks, 2 - 3 minutes for leaves Stir-fry: about 5 minutes for stalks, 2 minutes for leaves - the leaves should be just wilted and bright green (Source: http://chinesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa062701b.htm) Bok choy can be enjoyed on its own with olive oil and a few favorite spices, or as part of a larger dish. Consider adding it to your next stir-fry, tossing it with pasta, or even adding it to pizza. Here are a few additional suggestions:
Deep-fried Bok Choy Ingredients: 1/2 pound bok choy 1/4 cup toasted almonds 2 cups oil for deep-frying, or as needed 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Preparation: Wash the bok choy and drain thoroughly. Finely chop the toasted almonds. When the bok choy has dried, separate the stalks and leaves. Roll the leaves up cigar-style, and then cut into thin shreds. Heat the oil in a wok to between 300 and 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Add a batch of the shredded bok choy. Submerge the bok choy shreds in the hot oil for a few seconds only and remove quickly. (If you have one, a mesh deep-frying basket is ideal for this). Do not let the leaves turn brown. Drain on paper towels. Continue with the remainder of the bok choy shreds. Place the shreds in a bowl and toss with the sugar and chopped almonds. Serve immediately.
(Source: http://chinesefood.about.com/od/dimsumrecipes/r/chineseseaweed.htm)
Garlic Soy Bok Choy Ingredients: 4 heads baby bok choy, or 1 large head bok choy, leaves separated and rinsed well 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 large cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped (or try scapes instead!) 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes 2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce 2 tablespoons water
Preparation: Using a chef's knife, slice the larger outer bok choy leaves crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Leave the small inner leaves whole. Set aside. Warm the olive oil in a large, deep skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and hot pepper flakes, and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the boy choy to the skillet and stir-fry for 1 minute, or until the leaves begin to turn bright green. Add the soy sauce and water, and sauté for 1 minute. Remove from heat and serve.
(Source: http://herbsspices.about.com/od/salads/r/GarlicBokChoy.htm)
Check out this link for a similar stir-fry recipe with step-by-step pictures illustrating how to cut, prepare and cook your bok choy: http://steamykitchen.com/2112-bok-choy-stir-fry-recipe.html |
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Go camping without leaving town! Join other families at the Willow Grove Farm for a Family Campout. |
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Farm Update by Andrea Anderson |
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Do you hear that noise? ....oh yes...that's the collective sigh of about 3,000 CVCSA plants as we FINALLY get some rain. Things have really perked up this last week with the relatively cooler temps and some much needed rain. Though the overall hot temps have things poking along the irrigation is keeping things growing. The things we have in the ground that members can expect to start seeing in shares in the not so distant future are: Jalapeños, several varieties of zucchini, several varieties of heirloom squash (French and Italian), several varieties of patty pan summer squash, cucumbers (both standard and lemon), purple tomatillos and maybe some lettuce. We had the first member work session this week and it was a productive bunch! They weeded the tomatillos, planted a succession of lettuce and started a good deal of the fall Kale seeds, which have already sprouted! We're looking forward to more members being on the farm and pitching in—more rain means more weeds! Things should start picking up in the coming weeks along with the ripening of the blackberries. The raspberries are still producing here and there and are putting out new unripe berries which looks to mean a more typical raspberry season in the coming months. We, as a staff, know and share the growing frustration of some members as we continue to wait on the arrival of our summer crops. We're more than willingly to address any and all concerns, answer questions and share our knowledge with members, but we'd like to remind folks that we all work very hard and generally appreciate being addressed in an appropriately respectful manner. Threatening, yelling or otherwise scaring the farm staff generally never corresponds to an increase in vegetable production yields. Farmers, much like plants, tend to thrive best in conditions that are conducive to growth. In the next 10 years the world will need 50-60% more food. The average age of the American farmer is 55 and every minute of everyday we lose an acre of farmland to development. Training and educating the next generation of farmers (myself included) isn't just important, it's fundamentally necessary. In addition to learning the ways of organic farming, our intern farmers assist and implement education programs for school age children and community groups. This month alone we saw around 170 kids and 20 adults come through the CSA's education programs, and that's not counting CSA members. All of the work we do here is important and we do a lot. We hope that you, our members, are mindful and appreciative of the role you play in our CSA community. I, on behalf of the 195+ individuals served by the CSA this month, would like to thank you for your contribution to our future food security and continued support of the CVCSA. I'd like to remind you to sign up for your member work hour sessions in advance, and I'd like to invite you to attend the Friday night potlucks even if you aren't doing your work hours. I hope to see you all at the farm and in the fields soon! Andrea |
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Edible Weeds by Tess Wier |
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As we get into the heat of the summer, we're also getting into peak weeding season here on the farm as we maintain our summer succession of vegetable crops. Weeding, although regarded by many as a particularly onerous chore, is actually quite the destructive act. We decide, somewhat arbitrarily from the plant's point of view, that certain plants are not to be allowed to live, ever, and we take them out on sight. It has to be done, of course, but what if we were able to consider some value in weeds, at times? Along with all the vegetable crops we grow on the farm, we also grow and harvest a variety of delicious and incredibly nutritive plants that might otherwise be classified as weeds. Over the next few weeks, we hope to have portions of 'forage mix' available at CSA pick-up, along with the shares of lambsquarters given out already. Just to recap, in case you missed the handout on lambsquarters, they are similar in taste to spinach and can be used anywhere you would use spinach; but they have significantly more nutrients than spinach, being especially rich in beta carotene, vitamin B2, niacin, calcium, iron, and phosphorus. Just roughly chop the leaves and tender parts of the stem, and discard any part of the stem that seems tough or woody. Our forage mix is a combination of purslane and wood sorrel. Purslane is a succulent, meaning it stores water in its leaves and stems, and is another richly nutritious plant. Purslane is the number one plant source of alpha-linolenic acid, an Omega-3 fatty acid. While you can buy fish oil supplements to get Omega-3 fatty acids, why bother when purslane is much more delicious? Purslane is also high in vitamin C and other vital nutrients. It can be eaten raw, added to your favorite salads (even in pasta and potato salads), or tossed into soups or stir fries. Some recipes call for the leaves removed from the stems, but you can leave smaller stems in as well. Wood sorrel is called such because it tastes a bit like the unrelated, but more commonly used sorrel: herby, green and lemony. Although not quite as much of a nutritional all-star as lambsquarters or purslane, it is good for you and does have a very distinct and refreshing taste reminiscent, some might say, of lemon sweet tarts! This makes it a really great addition to salads, pestos, sauces, fish, anywhere you want to add a bright citrus-herb note. While these are plants that might need to be weeded out to make room for more typical vegetable crops, they are valuable in themselves as plants we can gain nutrients from. All agriculture is necessarily destructive, and weeding is a big part of that. Just because we don't use herbicides doesn't mean that we aren't destroying habitats and biodiversity when we weed. However, we like to think that we do a lot less damage here at Cromwell Valley CSA than at conventional farms. Making a commitment not to harm the fragile environments of the soil and water with herbicides goes hand in hand with valuing, in some small way, whatever plants may spring from the ground where we plant our crops. These are a few that are easy to love and we hope you enjoy them! |