Weekly Weeder

Olin-Fox Farms Volume No. 10 Issue No. 10 May 7, 2008

www.olinfoxfarms.com Spring Season Week 6

STANDARD REMINDER

Please be sure to wash your weekly share thoroughly before serving. To preserve freshness, it is NOT ‘table ready’ (i.e., pre-washed). We deliver your Olin-Fox Farms’ produce right from the fields to ensure highest quality.

REMINDER: This is the last week of the Spring Program.

The Summer Program commences May 21 – 24.

Schedules can also be found on our website, www.olinfoxfarms.com

This Week's News From The Farms

The last share of the Spring Program is a bountiful harvest, a product of the wonderful rains we have had this season. While busy tending and harvesting this wonderful produce, we receive many many email messages which include some from our current members, as well as requests for information from new members. We apologize if there is a delay in our response, we do respond as soon as possible. Thanks so much for your patience.

We are greatly looking forward to providing you with fresh, locally grown produce during the Summer Program. And, if you have signed up for the Summer Program, it's not too late to add in the Fruit Share. The Fruit Share is a wonderful supplement to the Summer Program that includes primarily sustainably grown fruits such as strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and peaches.

We thank you all for your participation and support during the Spring Program. Thank you for your belief in Community Supported Agriculture.

In Your Produce Basket This Week

Radishes, Spinach, Asparagus, Baby Carrots, Onions, Sage

See your site's produce list for more details.

Please Note: With elements beyond our control such as the start or the end of a harvest, or extreme weather conditions that may limit the quantity of produce coming in, we systematically address each delivery and pick up group each week and do our very best to see that everyone receives some of everything.

Recipe

Sage Sandwiches From the Weekly Weeder archives, written by Ann Cooper

“There is an old wives' tale in the Northern Neck that if you eat sage sandwiches in May you will live a long life... They are a great tea sandwich.

This is one of the few times I use white bread. Remove the crusts from two slices of white and butter (or use mayo) if you prefer) them. Cover one slice generously with sage leaves. Season with kosher salt to taste. Top with the other slice and cut into quarters.”

Oven-Roasted Carrots

Baby carrots are delicious eaten raw, and an extra special treat if oven roasted. Their nice small size enable them to cook all the way through, and they become carmelized and very sweet.

1 Bunch (about 12) Baby Carrots

1 Tbsp. Butter

1 Tbsp. Honey

2 Tsp. Grated Ginger

Sprinkle Salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place butter in medium oven proof dish, and melt butter in heated oven. Clean carrots well and cut off tops. Grate the ginger. Once the butter is melted, place the carrots in the dish without overlapping. Drizzle honey on the carrots, then sprinkle the grated ginger and lightly sprinkle with salt. Cover the dish and bake for one hour, until carrots are soft.

Carrot Tops

Another special CSA treat are carrot tops, knowing they are fresh and pesticide-free. Carrot Tops rich in protein, minerals and vitamins and are loaded with potassium.  Carrot greens are high in vitamin K, which is lacking in the carrot itself.

Carrot greens have antiseptic qualities, so they have been added to mouthwashes and, mixed with honey, to disinfect sores. They are also diuretic (increase urine flow), and can help treat kidney disease and edema.

The Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides (c. 40-c. 90) catalogued over 600 medicinal plant species and said that the Greeks used carrot leaves against cancerous tumours.

Sauteed Carrot Tops

1 Bunch Baby Carrot Tops

1 Tbsp. Sesame Oil

1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

Water if needed

Rinse the carrot tops well, and chop the leaves into about ½ to 1 inch pieces. Discard the carrot stalks, unless you enjoy eating very fibrous food. Preheat the sesame oil to a medium-low temperature in a medium sized sauce pan or skillet. Place the chopped carrot tops in the pan, and cook at a low temperature for about 30 minutes, adding water if the pan gets dry. After 30 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the soy sauce.

Newsletter written by John Cooper and Alice Hershiser.

Bon Appetit!