Weekly Weeder

Olin-Fox Farms Volume No. 8 Issue No. 12 May 23, 2007

www.olinfoxfarms.com Summer Season Week 2

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.

With Mother Nature's Cooperation, the Summer Program will be weekly until the

Off Week of July 4-7.

This Week's News From The Farms

  Despite the drought, you are receiving beautiful lettuces this week from our growers who have been keeping them well watered.  The supply ought to continue until it gets too hot in the summer.  Our spring crops have been coming in later than usual, due to the up and down temperatures.  Even the asparagus grew more slowly.

BACK TO BASICS:  Honor First Principles or Perish

“The biggest hindrance to change is ourselves. … It is no wonder that we want so desperately to keep going as we are, lest one false step lead to the collapse of our whole life-of-cards.  … And we should begin [by examining] … the very foundations of our human society.  ... For while we might be dazzled by the potential of the latest gizmo we’ve created, our basic human needs … have changed little, if at all, over the centuries.  … And what is good for us is our own roof over our heads, a good meal on the table, pure air, soil and water all around, and a secure family and good friends, in a true community, to keep us company.  Those are our basic needs.  Their fulfillment must be society’s first goal.  Their guaranteed availability should be our sacred right.”

  - Ference Maté. A Reasonable Life, Albatross Publishing House, New York, 1997.  Pp. 224-225.

Cell Phones To Blame For Deserted Bee Colonies?

A mysterious condition known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is destroying bee hives around the world. Scientists are debating the exact cause of the epidemic, but researchers at Landau University suggest that radiation from mobile phones may be at least partially to blame. Scientists found that placing mobile phones near hives causes bees to refuse to go inside. Dr George Carlo, who headed a massive study by the US government and mobile phone industry of hazards from mobiles in the 1990s, said: "I am convinced the possibility is real."

German research has long shown that bees' behaviour changes near power lines. A small study from Landau University in Germany suggests that the navigational capabilities of honeybees may be adversely affected by radiation from GSM cell phones. The findings could provide an answer to the mystery of disappearing bee colonies across the Western world.  It suggests that the 200 - 300 cycles/second oscillations that dancing bees produce through honeycomb may be interrupted by a resonance effect caused by telephone handsets.

First observed in the United States, the phenomenon of disappearing hive populations has now spread to Europe and Britain. CCD has since spread to Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. And last week John Chapple, one of London's biggest bee-keepers, announced that 23 of his 40 hives have been abruptly abandoned.  Other apiarists have recorded losses in Scotland, Wales and north-west England. The disorder causes bees to desert hives en masse, leaving only immature bees and queens. What happens to the errant bees is a mystery, but scientists speculate that they die while wandering far from their home hive.  The parasites, wildlife and other bees that normally raid the honey and pollen left behind when a colony dies, refuse to go anywhere near the abandoned hives. 

The alarm was first sounded last autumn, and has now hit half of all American states. The West Coast is thought to have lost 60 per cent of its commercial bee population, with 70 per cent missing on the East Coast. 

The implications of the spread are alarming.  Most of the world's crops depend on pollination by bees. Albert Einstein once said that if the bees disappeared, "man would have only four years of life left". 

The fact that you subscribe to our CSA demonstrates your commitment to Ferenc Mate's principles stated above. Providing higher quality food for yourself and your loved ones at home is a positive action to promote a healthier lifestyle while supporting local farmers and enabling a cleaner world. Thank You!

In Your Produce Basket This Week

Asparagus, Tropicana Lettuce, Baby Turnips With Greens, Oregano, Garlic Scapes

Please see your location's distribution sheet for additional items.

For those with fruit shares: Strawberries

Recipes

Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi, although a root, is really a swollen-stemmed cabbage. It has a flavor between that of a turnip and a rutabaga, and is in season from July to April.  Kohlrabi can either be thinly peeled and sliced or diced before cooking, or it can simply be washed, trimmed, and cooked in the skin, which preserves the maximum flavor.

how to boil kohlrabi

Cook in boiling salted water for 30 minutes-1 hour, depending on size. Drain, and peel if cooked in the skin. Serve either seasoned with pepper, preferably freshly ground, and with melted butter, or with a cream or Hollandaise sauce.

how to steam kohlrabi

Season with salt and cook in the top of a steamer over a pan of boiling water for about 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours depending on size. Drain and serve as for boiled kohlrabi.

how to braise kohlrabi

Parboil the kohlrabi for 5 minutes. Drain, peel, and cut into quarters. Make a mirepoix * and add enough stock to half cover the vegetables. Bring to the boil and place the kohlrabi on top. Baste some of the stock over the kohlrabi. Cover the pan with a piece of waxed paper or foil and then with the lid. Cook over gentle heat for 1 1/2 hours or until the kohlrabi is very tender, basting with the stock from time to time. Remove the kohlrabi from the pan with a perforated spoon and place in a serving dish. Drain the cooking liquor into a small pan and add 1 tsp meat glaze, if available. Boil the liquor rapidly until it is reduced to a thin glaze, and then pour it over the kohlrabi.
The mirepoix can be served as a separate vegetable dish, sprinkled with chopped parsley.

* Mirepoix is the French name for a combination of onions, carrots and celery (either common Pascal celery or celeriac). Mirepoix, either raw, roasted or sautéed with butter, is the flavor base for a wide number of dishes, such as soups, stews and sauces. These three ingredients are commonly referred to as aromatics.

Kohlrabi in Cream Dill Sauce recipe

12 oz. Kohlrabi 8 oz. carrots
2 tbsp = 1 oz butter 1 chicken stock cube
1/2 tsp dried dill 2/3 cup  = 1/4 pt fresh single cream
salt and freshly ground pepper 1 level tbsp  corn starch

Thickly peel the kohlrabi to remove all the woody outer layer. Slice thinly and cook with the carrots, butter, 300 ml (1/2 pint) water and stock cube for about 10 minutes, until tender.

2. Blend the corn starch with very little cold water and strain in the vegetable liquid, stirring.

3. Return to the boil, stir in the dill and the fresh cream, then adjust seasoning. Bring almost to the boil and pour over the vegetable.  Serves 4.

Asparagus Milanese

2 pounds asparagus, cut into 5- to 6-inch lengths Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
4 tablespoons butter 4 eggs
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus; cook in boiling salted water until just crisp-tender, approximately 4 to 5 minutes for thick stalks. Remove from heat and remove asparagus with a slotted spoon; drain on several thicknesses of paper toweling until ready to serve. Remember that the asparagus will continue to cook from their own heat as they stand and cool, so if you like very firm asparagus, time them accordingly. Divide asparagus among 4 individual serving plates, arrange asparagus like spokes with the tips at the center of the plate. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the asparagus.

In a medium frying pan over medium heat, heat the butter until just hot enough to sizzle a drop of water. Break and slip eggs into the pan; reduce heat to low and cook approximately 2 to 3 minutes or until whites are set but yolks are still runny. With a spatula, remove the eggs to the plates you will serve them on and place on top of the asparagus (be careful not to break yolks). The eggs should be hot enough to slightly melt the grated cheese

If the butter hasn’t already begun to brown, increase the heat under the frying pan and cook butter until lightly browned. Pour the browned butter over the top of the eggs.

Serve immediately. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper at the table.

Makes 4 servings.

 Asparagus Parmigiano

2 pounds asparagus stalks, washed and trimmed 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 garlic cloves, finely minced 1/4 teaspoon ground herbs de Provence
Coarse salt or sea salt Coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 cup or more grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese Lemons wedges for garnish

Snap or cut off the tough ends of the asparagus. Arrange asparagus in a single layer in a shallow baking pan.

Make marinade by combining olive oil, white wine, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour marinade over asparagus, turning to coat. Let marinate for a couple of 2 to 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. When ready to bake, sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the top of the asparagus. Bake approximately 8 to10  minutes (depending on thickness of the asparagus stalks) or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and transfer asparagus to a serving platter. Garnish with lemon wedges.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Asparagus with Poached Eggs & Shaved Parmesan

 2 pounds asparagus, cut into 5- to 6-inch lengths (use the thicker stem ones)
Coarse salt, sea salt, or fleur de sel 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper 4 large eggs
1 cup (lightly packed) parsley leaves, chopped 1 small piece of parmesan cheese, room temperature

Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus; cook in boiling salted water until just crisp-tender, approximately 4 to 5 minutes for thick stalks. Remove from heat, drain, and toss with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Divide asparagus among 4 dinner plates and keep warm.

Bring about 1 1/2 inches of water to a simmer in a 12-inch skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. One at a time, break each egg onto a saucer or into small cups or bowls. Slip eggs carefully into simmering water by lowering the lip of each egg-cup 1/2-inch below the surface of the water. Let the eggs flow out. Immediately cover with a lid and turn off the heat. Set a timer for exactly three minutes for medium-firm yolks. Adjust the time up or down for runnier or firmer yolks. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, depending on firmness desired. Lift each perfectly poached egg from the water with a slotted spoon, but hold it over the skillet briefly to let any water clinging to the egg drain off.

Place a warm poached egg on top of each asparagus portion; dab with a paper towel to soak up any visible water. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and parsley. Pull a cheese planer or use a vegetable peeler across the top of the piece of parmesan cheese to produce wide shavings. Arrange several shavings around each plate. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

 Written by Ethan Brent, Official Newsletter Focalizer.

Bon Appetit!