June 23 Share (Week 5)

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Basil: Flaim Farms, Vineland, NJ
Organic Green or Red Russian Kale: Landisdale Farm, Jonestown, PA
Blueberries: Stoney Creek Farm, Hammonton, NJ
Sour Cherries: Beechwood Orchards, Biglerville, PA
Yellow or Green Squash: Cassaday Farm, Monroeville, NJ
Organic Candystripe or Gold Beets: Millwood Springs Organics or Sunrise Ridge Organics, Lancaster, PA
Carrots: Flaim Farms, Vineland, NJ
Cheese: Clover Creek Cheese Cellar, Williamsburg, PA (raw milk)
Protein: Yogurt (2 6-oz): Pequea Valley Farm, Ronks, PA

This Week's Cheese Producer: Clover Creek Cheese Cellar from Williamsburg, PA
Clover Creek Cheese Celler is part of Ojala Farm, a 126-acre family owned dairy farm in central Pennsylvania. Ojala boasts Grass-based raw milk, Artisan raw milk cheeses, and grass-based beef. Cows here are outside in the fresh air, eating grass and other fresh plants all summer; in the winter they eat hay and some grain. Clover Creek Cheese Cellar also sells grass-based beef and eggs from range-fed chickens.

"Our cheese is not another push button cheese." Here are their delicious cheese varieties: Galen's Good Old is a smooth, mild gouda-style; Royer Mountain is their Alpine-style variety, with a sharp, Romano-like flavor; Tussey Mountian is their take on nutty Emmenthal; their Cheddar is mild but bursting with flavor thanks to the special balance of fats and proteins from their mixed-breed herd; and Uncle Joe is a mild, washed-rind cheese washed with its namesake's homemade wine.

Here are some helpful links:

http://www.buylocalpa.org/

http://www.ourfarmersmarket.org

http://www.localharvest.org

Week 3 Results

I want to tell you about Twin Oaks Tofu. Their original and herbed flavor is the best I've had, in taste and consistency, and my Whole Foods now carries it. Did I mention I did my senior thesis paper on Twin Oaks? A cooperative and farm in central Virginia that believes in promoting healthy lifestyles and supporting local farmers.

They write:
“Twin OaksCommunity Foods is a worker-owned co-operative located on 400 acres in central Virginia. We have been in business producing quality Organic Extra-firm Tofu since 1991. Our co-operative began by providing easy-to-use meat alternatives to Charlottesville, Richmond and local vegetarian communities. Over the past decade, positive customer response has urged us to grow and we now provide organic soyfoods to an array of customers up and down the East Coast. We strive to provide premium soyfoods crafted using unbleached well water, organic non-GMO soybeans, and the highest quality organic herbs available. We play our part in supporting local agriculture by using only Virginia-grown soybeans, helping to reduce the use of fuel for transportation. The Twin Oaks Community Foods 30-person crew takes pride in making vegetarian products that are good for our families and yours.”

And they score "outstanding" on Cornucopia Institute's Soy Scorecard (great resource). Check it out

Results from this week:

Spinach salad with grilled beets, Twin Oaks herb tofu slices and crumbled feta

Beet greens, onions, garlic shoots, and shrimp stir-fry

June 9 Share (Week 3)

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Spring Mix: Blue Moon Acres, Buckingham, PA
Dill: Flaim Farms, Vineland, NJ
Pickles: Frank J. Fichera, Salem, NJ
Yellow Squash: Cassaday Farms, Monroeville, NJ
Carrots: Flaim Farms, Vineland, NJ
Beets: Flaim Farms, Vineland, NJ
Organic Garlic Scapes: Life Enhancing Acres, Bird-in-Hand, PA
Wildflower Honey: Fruitwood Orchards, Monroeville, NJ
Cheese: Allegheny Chevre: Firefly Farms, Accident, MD (pasteurized)
Protein: Seitan: Michael's Savory Seitan, Florence, NJ


Life Enhancing Acres, Bird-in-Hand, PA. Doesn't that just sound like the idillic farm you'd want to take a trip to. Well it is, and you can, according to God Food: Farm Talk. Since a bunch of these small-scale rural Amish farmers have no website or contact information to speak of, I'm going to take her word for it AND take a field trip one of these days to see the happy pigs, sheep, cows, turkeys, horses, and their living conditions.
One thing I found very interesting is the CARE Program Life Enhancing Acres Farm is a part of. CARE is made up of 42 farmers and 5500 community members (as of 9/2010) and stands for Communities Alliance For Responsible Eco-Farming. Now that's something I could stand behind. These partnerships prove to me that more and more that community members are making a stand and that they don't want to get their apples from New Zealand- they want to support their community. The CARE program supports good farming practices through meetings, publications, mutual-inspections, etc. Maybe we can learn something from this.

Week 1 Results

Tried this recipe:
Lentil and Rhubarb Stew with Indian Spices
from The New York Times

(adapted slightly)
3 or 4 stalks rhubarb, strings removed, chopped
1 cup orange lentils, well washed
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
4 cardamom pods
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
2 cloves
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 dried ancho or other mild chili, optional
Salt
Chopped cilantro leaves for garnish

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and ginger and heat, stirring, for 3-4 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except lentils, salt and cilantro and add 1 cup water and cook at a steady simmer for 10 minutes. Add rhubarb and continue cooking another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove cloves and, if you like, cardamom pods. Add salt, then taste and adjust seasoning. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Other results from this week:

Fresh strawberry, blueberry and mango smoothie with unsweetened soy milk.

Strawberry pancakes

Grill stirfry with garlic shoots, carrots and balsamic-marinated portobella

Pine Street Flowers & Produce

Back Yard:

Front Yard:

May 26 Share (Week 1)

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Red Leaf Lettuce: Flaim Farms, Vineland, NJ
Organic Dandelion Greens: Landisdale Farm, Jonestown, PA
Organic Red Scallions: Sweetaire Farm, Lancaster, PA
Strawberries: Fifer Orchards, Camden-Wyoming, DE
Asparagus: Fifer Orchards, Camden-Wyoming, DE
Beets: Flaim Farms, Vineland, NJ
Rhubarb: Linvilla Orchards, Media, PA and Christ King, New Holland, PA
Leeks: Flaim Farms, Vineland, NJ
Organic Spring Garlic (Sat):Landisdale Farm, Jonestown, PA
Cheese: Misty Morning: Calkins Creamery, Honesdale, PA
Protein: Amish Butter: Hometown Provisions, Lancaster, PA


Check out this video of the red leaf lettuce before it came out of the ground this season at Flaim Farms, Vineland, NJ! Thank you to The Produce Geek who visited Flaim Farms in Vineland, NJ on May 17, 2011 to get a look at this seasons first Red Leaf, Green Leaf, Boston and Romaine Lettuces. The 2011 NJ Lettuce season will run until July 4th and start again in September.




A little more about Flaim Farms. Good for Princeton University, supporting local, family farms. "Why buy out of the Country? Out of the State? When everything's right here? ...Within 2 days we have it where it's got to go. When you buy out of the country it's a week to 10 days old," says 4th generation Flaim Farmer.



Flaim Farms began in 1934. Today the farm is run by two brothers, Kevin and Bob Flaim, who continue the farming tradition.
Flaim Farms, Inc. Flaim Farms produces romaine, kohlrabi, spinach, mustard greens, collard greens, swiss chard-green, red, rainbow kale, turnips, napa cabbage, squash, eggplant, peppers, escarole, endive and scallions. One of their specialties is romaine lettuce.

To support the farm, look for the “Panther” brand romaine lettuce when it’s in season. The brothers also grow “tomatillos” at the request of a local restaurant, Tortilla Press. Flaim Farms also has its own farm stand. Straight communication and consistent quality are two attributes that customers can expect from Flaim Farms.

Why Buy Jersey Fresh? Flaim Farms believes that New Jersey must advertise the produce that is in season. This will give consumers the opportunity to experience produce that is “same day fresh.”

Farm Stand Flaim Farms, Inc. 1958 Panther Road Vineland, NJ 08360
source: www.njfarmfresh.rutgers.edu

Welcome to 2011, Lessons "Shared"

If I learned one thing from last year's Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) experience, it's that your eyes are bigger than your stomach.

A lot has changed since last year. I have a new job which has hours that extend way past "full time." I have one less pair of expecting parents in our neighborhood to show my philanthropy towards. And last year I did the work share option (work about 12 days a season and get a small percentage off a full share), an experience I wouldn't give back ever, but it would pose a challenge with my new work schedule. And although it's not a change, I really don't want to use the trash bin to collect our leftovers, as I did too often last year. (I also refuse to start up another vermi-composting bin after my worms escaped last time, but that's another story.) I also don't want to cook every day when it's 105 degrees in July.

So it's decided. I'm signing up for a half share. It's the way to go if you're only 2 people. Actually, it's probably the way to go if you're only 4 people.

A quick re-cap of why I've started this blog. I feel like a lot of times we are a little in the dark about what food is in season when. Almost everything we could want is in the supermarket all the time. I'd like to document my region's seasonal food production and show ideas on what to do with it when it comes to me in the form of a farmshare. And reference it down the road.

I also have a few goals and ideas for this year. Since all of the produce is locally produced, I'd like to share the farmer/producer's story. I have gained such a respect for the farmers and families that have brought food to my table every day. So much so, that Chris and I have added a clause to our nightly grace, giving thanks to the farmers and animals that went into making our meal. It didn't grow in the supermarket. Farmers should be our heroes. And the small increase in price that happens when you buy products that came from struggling small-scale farmers, healthy animals and healthy land is the price you pay for supporting what's right, and what's humane.

I'm still going to share recipes I've come up with and tested out, but I'm going to focus more on recipes Greensgrow has recommended based on the share. Less rating system, more results.

I'd also like to document my own little urban farming efforts. Last year we had heirloom tomatoes, kirby cucumbers, swiss chard, basil, and window herbs. This year I'm hoping for a similar harvest - maybe better.

See CSA description from Greensgrow's site (http://www.greensgrow.org) below:




What's a Share?
In a Greengsrow CSA share every week…
A seasonal assortment (5-8 items) of locally grown, freshly picked vegetables from our urban farm and the rural farms we work with.

2 delicious types of fruits. 5 pears and 4 apples, or quart of strawberries and a pint of raspberries. The summer is a bounty of wonderful fruits and every week you will get 2 of them!.

A locally-produced cheese. Some favorites include Garlic Cheddar, Fresh Chevre, and handmade Fresh Mozzarella.

A dairy option. Your choice of one of the following:

2 cups of Pequea Valley yogurt
1⁄2 lb. of Amish-style butter
1 dozen eggs - pastured, free-range, hormone- and antibiotic-free
a package of tofu
or a container of Seitan
In the share throughout the season you may receive special items of local interest such as…

A loaf of freshly baked bread from one of several local bakeries, including Metropolitan, Sarcone’s, Slow Rise bakery, as well as our home made dessert breads.
Oyster and/or Shitake Mushrooms from Angela and John at Oley Valley Mushrooms (featured at many local restaurants including Southwark and the White Dog Café).
LinVilla Orchards Apple Cider
Locally produced honey
Beer from Philadelphia Brewing Company, produced in Kensington.
Occasionaly you will find a non-food item, such as Copa Soaps. We feel that these items are important to include because they introduce you to other local businesses and directly fit into the mission of Greensgrow as Growers of Food, Flowers, and Neighborhoods.
Locally grown, cut flowers from our own "farmer Tom"


Alrighty! Let's get cookin - stay tuned!