Category Archives: CSADist

Bear Tracks

2016 CSA Spring May 28th

2016 CSA Spring May 28th

  • Spinach
  • Mixed Field Greens
  • Peppermint
  • Spearmint
  • Garlic scapes (tops)
  • Spring Onions
  • Green garlic
  • Oregano
  • Dill
  • Lemon Verbena
  • Papaya
  • Basil
  • Yellow Squash

This week we begin the Saturday Stonefield Market 9:30am to 2:30pm (near Trader Joes) as well as the downtown City Market 7am till Noon every Saturday.

With the warmer temperatures, we not only see increased growth of our produce but also in the appearance of wild animals. According to the regulations we follow, regular monitoring of the growing areas is recorded as to wildlife activity. Certain restrictions require us to not harvest within an area around some activity. To the right is a photo of bear tracks that meandered through our lower field. Nothing was molested in this visit. We also have many other wild animals visit us such as fox, raccoon, deer, opossum, birds, groundhog, flying squirrel, and very rarely, wild cat. Turtle and snake also find their way onto the farm. Recently there have been copperhead sightings in other areas, and only once (in our lower field) have we ever seen one. The good news is that we also have the black snake here, helping to protect us. Black snakes fight, defend against and eat poisonous snakes. Hopefully this is not a gross topic, but with these copperhead sightings, bringing attention to a beneficial ally seemed sensible. We do not kill black snakes at the farm and we are encouraging you to familiarize yourself with their appearance so that you may recognize this friend if you happen to come across one.
Many times we hear stories or have been shown the leftovers of the killing of baby black snakes because they look so different when they are young. Below are some photos showing an adult black snake being handled and a baby black snake for identification. Baby copperheads are more brown and have a yellow tipped tail, so please be on the lookout before just instinctually killing a snake that could turn out to be a valuable partner in protecting your surroundings.

Papaya tree

2016 CSA Spring May 21st Papaya

2016 CSA Spring May 21st

  • Spinach
  • Squash Blossoms
  • Kale Flowers
  • Peppermint
  • Spearmint
  • Spring Onions
  • Green garlic
  • Oregano
  • Sage
  • Lemon Verbena
  • Papaya
  • Basil

Papaya:

Papaya cut

Papaya cut

A very rare and special treat this week: papayas! This tropical fruit is grown in one of our greenhouses and is one of the first of papayas grown in Virginia. Papayas are known for being a healthy food and for containing unique digestive enzymes that help the body process proteins. Papayas contain vitamins C, A, E, K, several of the B vitamins and many minerals such as magnesium, calcium and potassium. As an excellent source of these nutrients, papaya can be helpful to our health in prevention of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease. Being a good source of fiber, papaya can help lower high cholesterol levels and may be beneficial in prevention of colon cancer. Immune support and anti-inflammatory effects can assist in cases of asthma and arthritis.  Papayas are well known for containing papain, a digestive enzyme which is extracted for making supplements.

The simplest way to enjoy the slightly sweet and musky flavor of the creamy flesh is to cut your papaya in half and clean out the insides of any seeds or coating, then scoop out bites with a spoon. The half can also be cut into slices like a cantaloupe. If cubing for a salad, salsa, roast or smoothie, then remove the outer skin before use in your recipe.

Recipes ranged from simple to intricate with suggestions to pair with lime juice and/or mint being common, as well as ideas for salads, salsas and chutney. One salsa recipe was simply chopped onion, lemon juice, chopped papaya, diced mint and seasoning of salt and pepper. Often paired with meats like fish and chicken, it was sometimes featured in a chicken stir fry or elegantly sliced atop a filet of fish. Consider a complementary papaya salsa this week taking advantage of the onion and mint in your CSA share.

To your health and pleasure!

spinach

2016 CSA Spring May 14th Spinach

2016 CSA Spring May 14th

  • Spinach
  • Mixed Field Greens
  • Kale Flowers
  • Poultry Herbs
  • Spring Garlic
  • Spring onion bunch
  • Cilantro
  • Mint
  • Lemon Verbena
  • Thai Basil

Spinach

This green can claim a special place among vegetables in terms of its phytonutrient content. Researchers have identified more than a dozen different flavonoid compounds in spinach that function as anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer agents. (Some of these substances fall into a technical category of flavonoids known as methylenedioxyflavonol glucuronides.) The anticancer properties of these spinach flavonoids have been sufficiently impressive to prompt researchers to create specialized spinach extracts that could be used in controlled laboratory studies. These spinach extracts have been shown to slow down cell division in human stomach cancer cells (gastric adenocarcinomas), and in studies on laboratory animals, to reduce skin cancers (skin papillomas). A study on adult women living in New England in the late 1980s also showed intake of spinach to be inversely related to incidence of breast cancer.

Excessive inflammation, of course, typically emerges as a risk factor for increased cancer risk. (That’s why many anti-inflammatory nutrients can also be shown to have anti-cancer properties.) But even when unrelated to cancer, excessive inflammation has been shown to be less likely following consumption of spinach. Particularly in the digestive tract, reduced inflammation has been associated not only with the flavonoids found in spinach, but also with its carotenoids. Neoxanthin and violaxanthin are two anti-inflammatory epoxyxanthophylls that are found in plentiful amounts in the leaves of spinach. While these unique carotenoids may not be as readily absorbed as carotenoids like beta-carotene or lutein, they still play an important role in regulation of inflammation and are present in unusual amounts in spinach.

Decreased risk of aggressive prostate cancer is one health benefit of spinach consumption that should not be overlooked when talking about the anti-cancer properties of spinach. Interestingly, in a recent study that evaluated possible prostate cancer-prevention benefits from a variety of vegetables including spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, mustard and turnip greens, collards, and kale — only spinach showed evidence of significant protection against the occurrence of aggressive prostate cancer.

-excerpt of spinach profile via nonprofit George Mateljan Foundation