CSA: Week 17

Greetings! First off, a quick head’s up to all of those on the payment plan. It’s time for third installments. Payments are due by end of business on August 6^th

Beef’s what’s for dinner this week. Hope everyone enjoys the Tenderloin filets! Eggs are still coming on strong so everyone will be getting regular shares this week. And we’re finally back in the squash business again! The idea of successional planting is that as one crop is dying out the next is just starting to come forth.  As you might expect, nature has a way of intervening into our best laid plans. But we try our level best and sometimes plans come together. All that being said – I hope you enjoy all the members of the cucurbitaceae family in your box this week: sometimes farmers just call them “cucurbits” – they are the squash, zucchini, patty-pans, cucumbers, along with the melons we had last week and the acorn squash we might see next week. You guessed it, this family also includes pumpkins and gourds. I’m a fan of them all and I hope you’re enjoying them too.

Here are some pics from around the farm this week, along with what to expect to expect in your share box…

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Meat CSA: (call us on Mondays for any additional a la carte orders: 229-641-2081)

2x Grass-Fed Tenderloin Filets (8oz)

2x Grass-Fed Boneless Ribeye (14oz) or New York Strip (12oz)

Pasture Raised Eggs: 

12 beautiful assorted color eggs, form our own hens that range freely on certified organic pasture. The eggs are hand washed, candled and graded fresh for you each week.

(Call to order this week if not on the egg CSA : 229-641-2081)

Vegetables: 

Mixed Squash, patty-pans, and Zucchini

Purple Potatoes

Mixed Eggplant

1 bunch Carrots (we’re nearing the end of the carrots – so enjoy!)

Sweet Peppers

Mixed Okra or Mixed Cucumbers 

1 bunch Basil (Genovese, Purple Ruffles, Thai, or Cinnamon)

Tomatoes (Mixed heirloom and hybrid varieties)

1 Herb bag (Summer Savory and Mint)

I bag Malabar Spinach (Try them in a smoothie…delicious!)

***Don’t forget, your ‘maters are bagged separately, so don’t leave them behind when you grab your box. Enjoy!

CSA: Week 16

What a great delivery we have this week! I’m always so excited to share good news and new items with you. First things first… The laying hens kicked it up a notch despite the heat and everyone in the Egg CSA will be receiving eggs this week – Both Thursday and Saturday deliveries. And in the Veggie boxes – Melons have finally arrived! Everyone in the veggie CSA should be receiving a Sugar Baby Watermelon this week. We have more melons and cantaloupes on the way too, as well as winter squashes.

You’ve heard me explain how the heat and drought are causing a slowing of growth in the fields. Well, that may be the case for the vegetables at White Oak Pastures, but not the Black Soldier flies! In the next posting, I’ll share some pictures and the story behind this fascinating indigenous insect that we use as a protein-packed feed source for our birds out on pasture.

And while it’s difficult to segue from Soldier flies to dinner, that’s exactly what we’re doing. Here’s what’s on tap this week… Happy eating!

 

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Meat CSA: (call us on Mondays for any additional a la carte orders: 229-641-2081)

1x Chicken Breast (2lbs)

1x Whole Chicken

1x Grass-Fed Stir Fry Beef (1lb)

 

Pasture Raised Eggs: THURSDAY DELIVERY ONLY THIS WEEK 

12 beautiful assorted color eggs, form our own hens that range freely on certified organic pasture. The eggs are hand washed, candled and graded fresh for you each week.

(Call to order this week if not on the egg CSA : 229-641-2081)

 

Vegetables: 

Mixed Squash and Zucchini

Purple Onions

Mixed Eggplant

1 bunch Carrots (we’re nearing the end of the carrots – so enjoy!)

Sweet Peppers

Sugar Baby Watermelon (Intended to be slightly smaller than a bowling ball, and great to share as a dessert)

Mixed Okra or Mixed Cucumbers

1 bunch Basil (Genovese, Purple Ruffles, Thai, or Cinnamon)

Tomatoes (Mixed heirloom and hybrid varieties)

1 bunch Surprise Herb (Parsley or Lemongrass)

I bunch Kale or Collards (and you thought you’d seen the last of them… )

***Don’t forget, your ‘maters are bagged separately, so don’t leave them behind when you grab your box. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Greens

Summer Sweet Potato Greens are here! These greens are popular in African and Filipino dishes, often cut finely and sautéed with meat or fish then added to piping hot white rice. Here are some links to some recipes I’ve found for you to try.  Enjoy!

http://www.thebittenword.com/thebittenword/2010/10/saut%C3%A9ed-sweet-potato-greens.html

“When faced with a new vegetable or leafy green, we’ve adopted a pretty standard operating procedure: Heat some fat (butter, oil, bacon grease) in a pan and soften a diced onion. Throw in the vegetable and sauté until it’s ready to eat. Toss in some salt and pepper.

Most of the time, that’ll get you 90% of the way there.  Then you just decide what extra flavor you want to add (something spicy, like Sriracha? or savory, like soy sauce?) to complement the vegetable in question.

In this case, we wanted to play up the subtle sweetness of the greens, so we stirred in a little maple syrup.

The result was fab: The greens were fresh yet earthy, with a hint of sweetness. A perfect side dish for an early fall meal!”

 

https://www.motherearthnews.com/relish/sweet-potato-leaves-recipe-zb0z11zwar.aspx

“Are sweet potato leaves edible? You bet they are! My family has been using a simple, yet traditional, Filipino sweet potato leaves recipe ever since I can remember. In Tagalog, the Philippines’s national language, sweet potato leaves are called kamote tops and this recipe is usually called kamote tops salad. “

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXOxjoAE7uM

A video demonstration of a Guinean Recipe

CSA: Week 15

Rain today!!! Glorious Rain! And I hope all of you received some for your parched yards and gardens as well. As dry as its been, we’ve stayed busy here on the farm. We’ve already begun seeding for fall cole crops (cabbages, brussel sprouts and more), and we’re looking forward to sharing early harvests of winter squashes and some limited melons starting next week. This is the mid-point of the CSA, and we’re thankful to still have 12 items in the veggie boxes this week. As we creep into the doldrums of summer, when temperatures soar and water becomes scarce, the plants start thinking of other ways to use their energy, switching from fruiting to just surviving. We will make it through July, but it is still too soon to forecast when the summer veggie hiatus will begin. As you’ve read in the preceding blog entry and recent e-mail, the egg CSA is already on its summer schedule.

And speaking of eggs, I’d like to take a moment to brag on my assistants. They do such good work everyday. Nowadays, we work from 6am to noon, and then we break until 4:00pm and work till the day is done. That way we beat the heat and allow for some harvesting in mornings and again during the relative cool of the evenings. We sweat everyday, and sing, and laugh, and pour our energy into this food we lovingly pack and carry to you. Sharing food this way provides such meaningful work for us. Thank you for making it possible through your membership. We’re half-way into the journey, the middle of July. Let’s celebrate the good food of the season! Here’s what you can expect to see this week…

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Meat CSA: (call us on Mondays for any additional a la carte orders: 229-641-2081)

1x Chicken Leg Quarters 2lbs

2x Grass-Fed Ribeye Steaks 14oz or Grass Fed NY Strip Steaks 12oz

1x Ground Chicken 1lb

Pasture Raised Eggs: THURSDAY DELIVERY ONLY THIS WEEK 

12 beautiful assorted color eggs, form our own hens that range freely on certified organic pasture. The eggs are hand washed, candled and graded fresh for you each week.

(Call to order this week if not on the egg CSA : 229-641-2081)

No a la carte orders this week. Stay tuned for availability updates…

Vegetables: 

Squash 

3 lb Mixed Potatoes

Mixed Eggplant

Bush Beans or Asian Cucumbers or Hot Peppers

1 bunch Carrots (we’re nearing the end of the carrots – so enjoy!)

Sweet Peppers

Baby Leeks (Tender onions grown for their stems. Chop up and use in place of onion in any recipe, great in soups. These were the first plants I seeded in the greenhouse but they were still late in the season. So we’re going to enjoy these as baby leeks and look forward to fully grown leeks (already seedlings now) that we’ll harvest this winter.

Mixed Okra

1 bunch Basil (Genovese, Purple Ruffles, Thai, or Cinnamon)

Tomatoes (Mixed heirloom and hybrid varieties)

1 bunch Surprise Herb (Fennel bulb, Mint, Stevia, or Sage)

and introducing… Sweet Potato Greens – (We’re growing lots of sweet potatoes for the fall, but these productive tubers are also known for their nutritious and tasty greens that they provide through the summer – more description and recipe to follow in the next blog post.

***Don’t forget, your ‘maters are bagged separately, so don’t leave them behind when you grab your box. Enjoy!

Summer Egg Rations

Oh, the joys of seasonal eating! This week marks the beginning of summer egg rationing where we split up egg orders by delivery date. This week eggs will be delivered to the Thursday delivery points and NOT Columbus. Next week, we’ll have eggs for Columbus on Saturday and NOT Warner Robins. This pattern will continue until our egg production picks up again. Here’s why…

Raising laying hens on pasture is a daily adventure full of joys and challenges. Here at White Oak Pastures, we have made a commitment to our animals to provide free-range access to certified organic pasture. Therefore, unlike confined and housed factory-farmed egg layers, our mother hens live out their days seasonally – with sun and rain and heat and cold. Of course, while we offer shelter from weather and cozy nest boxes for laying, extremes in temperature ultimately affect layer production – especially since we don’t use any artificial lighting. We find it important for the health and well-being of the birds to allow them to exhibit their natural instinctive behaviors and rhythms in response to the seasons.

Thankfully, we have a new flock of hens that are beginning to lay this month.  And starting this week you’ll begin to see their medium-sized eggs mixed into your cartons.  We’re so happy that they’re starting to lay now because the increased heat has caused the older flock to all temporarily slow their egg production.

I’m writing you with this explanation because you have entrusted us to provide eggs for you and yours. Your CSA share is our #1 priority and all eggs at this moment are being reserved exclusively for your orders. So, to re-cap: You will receive all the eggs that you’ve paid for.  This week eggs will be delivered to the Thursday delivery points and NOT Columbus. Next week, we’ll have eggs for Columbus on Saturday and NOT Warner Robins.  As soon as supply is back up we will let you know.

 

Thanks again so much for your support!

Malabar Spinach (Basella alba)

Ok, so here we are in the beginning of Summer, thinking the only thing green we’re going to see for a while is watermelon rind and zucchini. Well, thankfully we’ve found a summertime green that will help fill in the gap between now and Fall. It’s Malabar Spinach, and like Fennel you’re either going to love it, or hate it. But I’ll ask for you to try it a few different ways before ultimately deciding you don’t like it.

You can eat it raw. And it’s grown on me enough now that I’ll walk up to the trellis and snag a few leaves each day. I’ve never made an all out salad of it thogh, because it has a bit of a slime to it and I think a little goes a long way. Here are some recipes and links that I’ve located on the web.  As always, feel free to share specific recipes you’ve found, tried and enjoyed.

Cheers!

Tomato-Malaber Spinach Quiche: http://blog.charlottefresh.net/2011/08/04/fresh-recipe-tomato-malabar-spinach-quiche/

Malabar Spinach with mushrooms: http://outofthegarden.wordpress.com/2007/02/13/mong-toi-or-malabar-spinach-with-mushrooms/

Indonesian Style: http://www.food.com/recipe/indonesian-style-malabar-spinach-452721

It seems any recipe with pork in soup, Malabar Spinach makes a good addition too. Lori says it would go great on pizza or in an omellette

And finally…

Malabar Spinach Soup with Chickpeas and Potatoes – From Back Bay Café, Belhaven

3 tablespoons good quality olive oil
1 large onion, sliced thin
10 cloves of garlic, chopped
6 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade)
2 large potatoes, cut in half lengthwise and into 1/4 inch slices
15 ounces cooked chickpeas (8 ounces dry)—if you use canned, drain and rinse well
10 ounces malabar spinach (if frozen thaw and press dry)
4 ounces roasted red peppers
Salt and pepper to taste
Sharp cheddar cheese or Parmigiano Reggiano, grated for topping
Place oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic and cook until the onion becomes translucent. Do not allow the garlic to burn, as it will taste bitter. Add the chicken stock and potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Stir in the chickpeas, malabar spinach and roasted red peppers. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until chickpeas, malabar spinach and peppers are heated through. Season to taste. Serve in bowls and top with cheese. Better the second day.
If you want to add a meat to this recipe, try cooked Italian sausage cut into bite-size pieces or cooked chicken breast pulled apart in small pieces.

CSA: Week 14

Happy Fourth of July! There’s no denying its summertime now. We’ve just finished harvesting vegetables, packing meat and eggs this afternoon for tomorrow’s delivery.  “But it’s the fourth, what are you doing working?” you might ask… We’ll be honoring Independence Day with half days Wednesday and Friday. It might be nice to take a whole day off one of these days, but it’s a point of pride to be able to harvest the day before deliveries to ensure the freshest possible produce for you. If you’ve managed to get one or more days off this week, I hope you’ll be enjoying part of it grill-side or in your kitchen.  And while you’re celebrating our nation’s independence, I hope you’ll also take a moment to celebrate the steps you’re taking toward independence from our alarmingly centralized national food system. Thank you again for supporting Local Sustainable Agriculture each week with us: Enjoy this week’s share of summer’s harvest.

On the farm-front: the rabbits have moved into the orchard and are munching away on fresh pastures grasses, growing steadily while providing some of the best fertilizer that any livestock offers. I put a pic in the slide show of the rabbit bandas right before hoisting the shade tarp over the top of the hoops. We’ve received some rain but we’re hopeful for more. Of course, I don’t have to tell anyone about the heat. But last weekend, the record-setting temps surprised everyone.  And this past weekend, we had a few guests out to celebrate the opening of the farm pavilion, which serves lunch for the employees and guests throughout the week. Remember, if you’re ever in the neighborhood, please drop by and see us – and plan to have lunch too. Farm to table is how we live out here, and it’s really nice to showcase southern food traditions in our own farm-based restaurant with artisinal food we work so hard to produce. I really hope you’ll all be able to make it out by the season’s end.

Here what’s on this week’s menu:

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Meat CSA: (call us on Mondays for any additional a la carte orders: 229-641-2081)

2 x Grass-fed Beef Patties (2x7oz)

1 x Grass-fed Cube Steak (1lb)

1x Whole Chicken

Pasture Raised Eggs: 12 beautiful assorted color eggs, form our own hens that range freely on certified organic pasture. The eggs are hand washed, candled and graded fresh for you each week.

(Call to order this week if not on the egg CSA : 229-641-2081)

Vegetables: 

1 bunch Winterbor Kale or Flash Collards

Bush Beans or Burgundy/Green Okra

1 bunch Colorful Carrots (we’re nearing the end of the carrots – so enjoy!)

1 bunch Basil (Genovese, Purple Ruffles, Thai, or Cinnamon)

Tomatoes (Mixed heirloom and hybrid varieties)

1 pint Cherry Tomatoes

1 bunch Mint or Stevia (great for Summer Sun Tea or Mixed Libations)

1 bunch Sage or Parsley 

3-5 Yellow Sweet and Purple Onions

and introducing… Malabar Spinach (this summer green is the love-child of okra and spinach – see blog post to follow)

***Don’t forget, your ‘maters are bagged separately, so don’t leave them behind when you grab your box. Enjoy!