Weekly Weeder

Olin-Fox Farms Volume No. 11 Issue No. 1 January 14, 2009

www.olinfoxfarms.com Winter Season Week 1

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.

This is the First week of the Winter 2009 Program.

The remaining 3 Winter Program pickups are:

January 21-24; February 4-7; and February 18-21.

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

This Week's News From The Farms

Welcome to the 2009 CSA Winter Program!

The featured produce for the first week is organic citrus from Eagles Nest Grove in Crescent City, Florida, owned and operated by the marvelous Mary Mitchell. It was a real pleasure meeting with Mary, and it was also very informative. Mary pointed out that smaller grapefruit are actually sweeter and have less peel than the conventional large grapefruits found in most grocery stores.

Mary also informed us that USDA is allowing organic citrus growers to gas ripen their fruit prior to shipment, in order to get it to market sooner. The gassed fruit is lower in natural sugars and higher in acid, which makes it inferior to the tree-ripened fruit that Mary's grove produces.

Mary will be sending us information about her operation to include upcoming newsletters. We welcome Mary to our Fine Family of Farms.

In upcoming weeks, look forward to natural local honey, pecans, more free-range eggs, Jerusalem artichokes, greens, beets, and winter salad mixes, to name a few.

Recipes and Information

Citrus

We spent a few days in St. Augustine prior to picking up your organic citrus. While there, we picked up a fascinating cookbook entitled Food Favorites of St. Augustine, Featuring Spanish, Minorcan, English & American Recipes, by Joan Adams Wickham. The recipes and information below are gleaned from this cookbook which is from America's oldest city, founded in 1565.

The orange is technically not a fruit, but a berry of the orange tree (Citrus sinensis), native to the Far East. The English name is derived from the Sanskrit “narange.” In Greek mythology, the orange symoblized fertility and was used as a wedding gift. And in the present day, orange blossoms are still commonly used as bridal flowers.

The Spanish Conquistadores no doubt brought the orange to the New World from Spain in the 16^th century. The early settlers of Florida used roasted oranges as a remedy for the common cold, and a tea made from orange leaves was believed to cure fevers.

Tangelos are a hybrid between the tangerine and the grapefruit, and is good for eating because it is easy to peel.

More than 75% of our country's grapefruit come from Florida. Old-timers say it's tastiest to slice a grapefruit in half and dust it with salt!

The citrus in this week's share is absolutely delicious peeled and eaten, but here are a few recipe ideas:

Orange Trout

The 18^th century naturalist William Bartram, noted a favorite Florida dish was “trout stewed in the juice of Oranges.”

Florida Ambrosia

Peel and slice 6 oranges. Grate 2 cups fresh coconut. In a glass bowl, place layers in the following order: orange slices; sugar; grated coconut; orange slices; and a sprinkle of sugar. Pour over all coconut juice and fresh orange juice, and add a final covering of grated coconut. Refrigerate overnight to blend flavors.

Baked Grapefruit

Serve as a light dessert. Use as an appetizer, or in place of soup or salad, and insert a sauteed or grilled chicken liver onto a toothpick and stick into the grapefruit near the rind.

Cut grapefruit in half and carefully separate the sections while keeping the rind together. Cut a small hole in the center and fill cavity with sherry and 1 teaspoon butter. Sprinkle over tops of fruit a mixture of brown sugar and powdered clove, nutmeg, or cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned, or place under broiler. Serve hot.

Party Fruit Elephant – a fun centerpiece for youngsters of all ages

Uses one orange and one grapefruit, many toothpicks, a skewer, whole cloves, 6 marshmallows, and a piece of cord.

Using an orange as the elephant's head, cut just through the skin and peel loose to make ears and trunk. Hold them out properly with use of hidden toothpicks. Use several toothpicks for the tusks. Use a skewer to fasten the orange head to the grapefruit body. For balance, use four marshmallows for the front legs (2 per leg) and attach to the grapefruit body with toothpicks. Use two marshmallows for back legs (1 per leg) and attach to the body with toothpicks. Use whole cloves for eyes and a piece of cord for the tail.

Bon Appetit!