CSA Week 11

What was in your basket this week? garlic, onions, apples, plums, tomatoes, bartlett pears, eggplant, summer squash, cherry tomatoes, kale, lettuce, basil, cucumbers, beans, hot pepper, and cut greens




The fruit trees are pumping! We've been very busy picking, sorting, and juicing. Soon, we'll be drying and canning applesauce and pear jam. We hope you enjoy your bounty of fruit in your baskets!

CSA - Week 11 Recipes

Baba Ganoush

3 medium-sized eggplants
1/2 cup tahini
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
3 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1/8 teaspoon chile powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
a half bunch picked flat-leaf parsley or cilantro leaves

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.

2. Prick each eggplant a few times, then char the outside of the eggplants by placing them directly on the flame of a gas burner and as the skin chars, turn them until the eggplants are uniformly-charred on the outside. (If you don’t have a gas stove, you can char them under the broiler. If not, skip to the next step.)

3. Place the eggplants on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until they’re completely soft; you should be able to easily poke a paring knife into them and meet no resistance.

4. Remove from oven and let cool.

5. Split the eggplant and scrape out the pulp. Puree the pulp in a blender or food processor with the other ingredients until smooth.

6. Taste, and season with additional salt and lemon juice, if necessary. Chill for a few hours before serving. Serve with crackers, sliced baguette, or toasted pita chips.

Storage: Baba Ganoush can be made and refrigerated for up to five days prior to serving.

Apple Crumb Bars

1 cup rolled oats
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 large egg, beaten
4 apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Crumb Topping
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1) Heat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a 15- by 10- by 1-inch baking pan. Prepare Crumb Topping (see Method #2); set aside.
2) For crumb topping: In medium bowl, combine flour, oats, and sugar. With pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.
3) For cookie: In medium bowl, combine oats, 1 cup flour, the brown sugar, baking powder, and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in beaten egg. Spread mixture evenly in pan.
4) Toss apples with sugar, remaining 1/4 cup flour, and the nutmeg. Spread apples over oatmeal layer. Sprinkle Crumb Topping in a diagonal pattern over apples. Bake 30to 35 minutes or until apples are tender. To yield 40 bars, divide the 15-inch-long side into 8 sections. Divide the perpendicular 10-inch-long side into 5 sections.

CSA Week 10 - Recipes

APPLE SALSA!

2 tart apples
4 tablespoons lime juice
1 fresh jalapeno chile
1 fresh Anaheim chile
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
Handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 cup (2 ounces) walnuts, coarsely chopped and lightly toasted
2 tablespoons peeled and finely slivered fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cut the apples from the cores, leaving the skins intact, and cut the fruit into 1/4-inch cubes.

Toss the apple pieces with the lime juice and set aside.

Cut the chilies in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and white ribs. Slice them thinly. Add to the apples. Add the onion, cilantro, walnuts, ginger and salt and mix thoroughly.

CSA - Week 10

August 19th- The abundance in the garden instills in us a powerful sense of gratitude and humility, and simultaneously keeps us on our feet as there’s always more to do to keep it coming! Our community of apprentices continue to learn the many lessons of food production. Since I arrived at Camp Joy I have had the privilege and responsibility of caring for my own section of the garden and I have had the opportunity to experiment with cheese making and preserving. With the guidance and support of seasoned homesteaders I have had many successes (as well as valuable failures).

It is always exciting to experience the first moments of the season. It seems like there have been many of those moments lately. Most recently, we canned our first round of apple juice. It was an early morning gathering in the kitchen as we came together as a community to cut into barrels of apples. It was a lengthy process pressing the apples and canning many gallons of juice on the stove. However, I know that the Camp Joy family will be grateful for apple juice throughout the winter months!

CSA - Week 9

Post by: Kristie

Apple Quotes to Ponder...

"With an apple I will astonish Paris."
-Paul Cezanne

"We are born believing. A man bears beliefs as a tree bears apples."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree."
-Martin Luther

"If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe."
-Carl Sagan

"When the apple is ripe it will fall."
-Proverb

"I tell you folks, all politics is applesauce."
-Will Rogers

"Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the one who asked why."
-Bernard Baruch

"You never know how many apples there are in a seed."
-Source Unknown

"Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples don't count on harvesting golden Delicious."
-Source Unknown

What's in your basket this week? bush beans, plums, apples, garlic, onions, carrots, cucumbers, summer squash, tomatoes, lettuce, kales, bok choi, and parsley.

CSA - Week 9 Recipes

Summer Squash Oatmeal Cookies

1 c. butter
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
2 c. summer squash, grated
3 1/2 c. oatmeal
1 c. raisins, optional
1 c. nuts, optional

Beat butter and sugar together well. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients together and add creamed mixture. Stir in summer squash, oatmeal, raisins and nuts. Drop onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes.


Chilled Cucumber Soup

Two 14 to 16 ounce cucumbers
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more to taste
1 small scallion, trimmed and chopped
2 cups buttermilk or 1 cup milk plus 1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon minced fresh mint
1 teaspoon minced fresh dill
1 teaspoon minced flat-leaf parsley
Large pinch cayenne pepper plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste (optional)

Peel the cucumbers, trim the ends, cut in half lengthwise and scrape out the watery area where seeds would be. Coarsely chop. Crush the garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt into a paste with the flat side of a chef's knife. Combine the cucumber, garlic, remaining salt, and the buttermilk in a blender and process until completely smooth. Add half of each of the herbs and the cayenne and pulse several times to combine. Transfer soup to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour or until thoroughly chilled. Before serving, season with salt, pepper, and lemon if desired. Divide among 4 soup bowls and sprinkle with the remaining herbs. Serve.

CSA Week 8

Post By: Ivo

Its pretty cool right now as the garden teems with edibles. Just walking along the paths watching everything ripen is an adventure. It was so sweet planting onion thinking to myself "they're so fragile, how will they survive?" and so we have beautiful bulbs bursting out of the ground. I was pretty astounded at this weeks management of the CSA. I loved organizing and distributing all the summer squash/cucumbers for each person, feeling excited thinking about how they would feel finding them.

What went in your basket: Apples, green beans, onions, plums, garlic, carrots, cucumbers, summer squash, cabbage, kale, lettuce, fennel, basil, bok choy, cutting greens.

CSA Week 8 - Recipes

Spicy Bok Choy in Garlic Sauce
1 pound bok choy
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

1. Trim off the ends of the bok choy and chop, keeping the white parts separate from the green as they will need to cook longer. Rinse and spin or pat dry. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl or cup, stir together the vegetable oil and sesame oil. In a separate larger bowl, stir together the water, ginger, garlic, oyster sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and red pepper flakes. Set this aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the bok choy stems first; stir fry for a few minutes or until the pieces start to turn a pale green. When stems are almost cooked, add the leaves; cook and stir until leaves are wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer the bok choy to a serving dish. Pour the sauce into the skillet or wok, and set over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened slightly, about 3 minutes. Pour over the bok choy and toss lightly to coat.