Weekly Weeder

Olin-Fox Farms Volume No. 12 Issue No. 7 April 28, 2010

www.olinfoxfarms.com Spring Season Week 3

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 Third Week of the Spring Program.

The Fourth Week is May 12 to May 15.

Schedules and Sign-Up can be found on our website, www.olinfoxfarms.com.


This Week's News From The Farms


It's Week 3 of the Spring CSA Program and the asparagus is really coming in strong, so we have added an extra pound to your share. From all indications, it looks it should last well into the Summer Program. Salad Mix has finally returned to the harvest schedule and should also last for a number of deliveries. With Mother Nature's cooperation, the radishes will be ready for harvest so as we can add them to our salads.

Other crops showing great promise are: Swiss Chard, the second planting of Arugula, a number of lettuce varieties, Asian greens, peas, and broccoli, to name a few.

We hope the new Harvest Page on our website (www.olinfoxfarms.com) has been helpful for shopping and meal planning.

We hope you are enjoying the Spring Program and the nice weather.

We still have a few Summer Program spots open for some of our Northern Virginia locations. So, if you would like one, please sign up soon, as we anticipate they will sell out.


In Your Produce Basket This Week

Beets, Spinach, Green Onions, Salad Mix, Mint

Asparagus, Free-Range Eggs

Please read your location's Produce List for more details.


Recipes and Information

Asparagus

A friend has sent us the following healthy information about Asparagus. According to Snopes.com, this information has been distributed on the Internet since 2006 and may or may not have validity.


“The Elements of Materia Medica, edited in 1854 by a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, stated that asparagus was used as a popular remedy for kidney stones. He also referred to experiements in 1739 on the ability of asparagus in dissolving stones.


Asparagus is reputed to have cancer curing and cancer preventative qualities. Asparagus contains a good supply of a protein called histones, which are believed to be active in controlling cell growth, which some are calling a 'cell growth normalizer.' This can account for its action on cancer and in acting as a general body tonic. US National Cancer Institute has found asparagus to be the food highest in glutathione, which is considered one of the body's most potent anticarcinogen and antioxidant.


'Healthy Tonic' Recipe

Cook the asparagus before using. Place cooked asparagus in a blender to make a puree and store in the refrigerator. Ingest 4 tablespoons twice daily, morning and evening. The tonic can be diluted with water and used as a cold or hot drink.”


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http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/pereira/asparagus.html

The website above has the actual 1854 edition of the Elements of Materia Medica. Note that 'lithic' refers to stones. There's a section about Asparagus, and this is the summary paragraph:


“Though no longer contained in our Pharmacopoeia, asparagus is still occasionally used as a popular remedy, chiefly as a diuretic in dropsies, and as a lithic. [For some experiments on the solvent power of asparagus-juice for urinary calculi, see Lobb's Treatise on Dissolvents of the Stone, 1739.] For these purposes the shoots are boiled and used at table; or the root, which is considered superior to the shoots, is taken in the form of an infusion or decoction (prepared by boiling an ounce of the root in a quart of water), which may be taken as a common drink.”

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Asparagus does have nutritional benefits, with only 25 calories per stalk. It is high in folic acid, and is a good source of vitamins A, B5 and C, calcium, iron, thiamin, potassium and fiber. It is high in the micronutrient glutathione, an antioxidant. Glutathione is said to defend the body against viruses, certain types of cancer, and boosts immune cells.


According to the National Cancer Institute and the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, there are mixed reviews as to the cancer-preventing or cancer-curing factors of Asparagus.


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Quick and Easy Roasted Asparagus


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Break off the tough ends. Place whole asparagus spears on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil and your favorite seasoning(s). We love garlic and a little salt. Mix it up so the spears are evenly coated. Roast in the oven for about 10 minutes.




Newsletter written by John and Alice Cooper.

Bon Appetit!