• Ginger
• Turmeric
• Watercress Box
• Collard Greens 10×10
• Salad Mix 10×10
• Mint
• Papaya
• Dozen Eggs
• microgreens

Fresh mint for this weekend as it  marks the last day of our Winter CSA share and the first day of our Spring CSA share, as we formulate our seasonal calendar into 3 month long periods that start in January. Next week marks the beginning of ourfarmer’s market season, which runs from April to December in downtown Charlottesville and south of town at Forrest Lakes (through October). All CSA members receive a 10% discount on purchases made at either of our market stands.

Mint, violets and redbud blossoms are highlighted in photos this week as many will enjoy a mint sauce with lamb this weekend and the violets are blooming here. Redbuds have yet to pop out (budding and opening before the tree’s leaves) but I wanted to remind you of another edible flower that is easily wildcrafted. 

And just in case you happen across some violets, consider trying some for a surprising twist. As with gathering any edibles from the wild, be aware to not gather right next to a road substantially travelled to avoid heavy metal accumulation from exhaust.

• Microgreens!
• Chervil
• Parsley
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Sage
• Sorrel Pesto
• Papaya
• Ginger
• Turmeric

Sorrel Pesto for The last fall CSA for 2017 and preparing for the Winter CSA starting next weekend! It is that time of year where the refrigerator is filled with leftovers and there are yet a few more parties to host or attend, so try some of our most nutritious and flavorful microgreens, as they are a super food that saves space and time, besides landing a fabulous presentation. The popular herbs included can make bartending for your friends and family even more fun and delicious. Try mudddling (pressing and crushing to release aroma) an herb like thyme below your ice and top with alcohol or juice.  To your health and your pleasure, always, leslie

• Arugula 10×10
• Mixed Salad 10×10
• Chervil
• Parsley
• Dill
• Basil Pesto *
• Red Sorrel Pesto*
• Citrus Selection
• Papaya
• Ginger*
• Turmeric*

And to top that off, papaya, turmeric and ginger..for fresh flavor and energy to face the chill of winter. Chervil I like to use fresh with veggies and salad as I find a bit of pain relief in its sweet aroma. Parsley, another nutrition rich green, can help relieve bloating, may fight kidney stones, gallbladder, and urinary tract infections. And it has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial characteristics.

We made a Red Sorrel Pesto, among other flavors, in hopes to send you home with a red and a green version to use at your leisure. These store easily in the freezer, just let the container sit out for about 20 minutes during recipe prep and the outer edge with defrost making it easy to scrape a tablespoon or 2 out. Then the container can be popped back into the freezer. Woot! To your health and your pleasure, always, Leslie

• Watercress Box
• Red Sorrel Box
• Thai Basil*
• Chives
• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Chervil
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• 2 Acorn Squash
• Ginger
• Turmeric

Try a fresh Thai basil curried rice with fresh grated ginger and turmeric, black pepper and a dash of 5 Spice… I like to use the rice cooker in a similar way to a Crock Pot, not that it takes all day, but is a prepared meal from a single pot. Layer what you would like in with your rice, maybe onion and peppers, potato and carrot, cashew and raisens and chopped fresh wholesome spices. It is a great way to have leftover (well marinated) curry pot for breakfast, just stir fry with some scrambled eggs, or how I like it, with a fried egg on top. Garnish with a flourish of the Thai basil and, voila! Beautiful, nutritious and delicious!
To your health and your pleasure, always, leslie

• Watercress 8×8
• Baby Kale 8×8
• Baby Tatsoi 8×8
• Chervil
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Chives
• 2 Butternut Squash
• 2 Acorn Squash
• Papaya
• Blue/Purple Sweet Potatoes
• Turmeric*
• Ginger*

While building from this week’s CSA ingredients, I find all I need to add to this grocery list is a dozen eggs. The greens and herbs can be used to make a quiche, frittata, or homemade pasta as well as enjoyed raw alongside a meal, in a sandwich or even a wrap. Two to three eggs and the butternut, roasted and pureed, becomes the base for a “pumpkin” pie (the flavor and consistency is more of how we dream of for pumpkin pie, try it! Great substitute). Any greens and herbs can also be frozen, in a paste, or chopped to add to later dishes such as lentils, stews, curries and pot pies.

And of course, these are all packed with flavorful aromatic medicinal healing qualities…just check out the antimicrobial activities of herbs and essential oils…blows my mind sometime how we miss that the kitchen cupboard is also the medicine chest.

To your health and your pleasure, always, leslie   

• Baby Carrots
• Ginger & Turmeric
• Calamondin Oranges
• Thai Basil Cuttings
• Potatoes
• Yellow Summer Squash
• Bell Pepper
• Baby Salad Mix
• Watercress
• Tomatoes
• Cucumber

Just a peak at a few of the creatures that visit the farm… the second photo at right was being shared around: accessible food brings new friends The deer and the groundhogs have been the worst for us, taking out broccoli, kale and a few others. We have replanted but hard to wait.. our sweet potatoes have been getting hit and we have been vigilant, transplanting from greenhouse kept cuttings. But squash is finally going fast, hence the plethora in your share. The thai basil cuttings include a few flowers and quite possibly some seed, if you would like to sprinkle it in a pot nearby your kitchen. Thanks for helping me out with the carrots: a section of plantings of carrots, spinach, etc, got overrun by weeds and grasses. Since this section needs to be dealt with, i wanted you to at least enjoy the delicacy of baby carrots and fresh tops before it all gets turned over. The greens are edible, can be run thru the juicer, be made into pesto, soup or dressing.

The photo of the juvenile constrictor, the black snake as we know them, against the blue background is to introduce you to a local friend that is sometimes mistaken for a venomous snake because of its markings. These snakes are a sigh of relief…less fear of stumbling across a copperhead. Only once have i seen a copperhead here, and nowhere near the busy cultivated areas of the farm. Now the black snake on the other hand…see ‘em all the time.

• Baby Tatsoi
• Tomatoes
• Field Mix
• Field Arugula
• Dill
• Chard Bunch
• Pea Shoots
• Micro Beets
• Turmeric *
• Ginger *

Earth Day: Most of you are familiar with our growing practices, compost making, certifications, awards, water and oil recycling, wetland reclaimation, etc. Most of you know that we will take back the packaging and cartons we use, that we switched to biodegradable straws at our markets. But did you know that we also recycle medium that has been used to grow mushrooms, thus innoculating our compost with helpful microbiological activity for creating nutrition at the root system? Did you know that our farm birds help in this cycle, eating up surplus greens and cuttings, also providing building blocks for nutrient rich soil that has been properly composted? This cycle is documented and inspected for our Good Agricultural Practices certification. Such attention to detail shines thru in the flavor and aroma. Recycling also won Michael an award in local farming for innovation in technology: before the water goes out to the water heater, it is piped in parallel to a heat exchange coil that is part of the refrigeration of our walk-in cooler, thus it gains heat, reducing the energy load on the water heater and by removing that heat from the refrigeration coil, reduces the demand for cooling. Heat from the refrigeration unit is recycled into hot water demands. A few ideas for easily helping the earth that don’t require a lot of effort: travel with your own containers for leftovers; carpool/walk/bike, etc.; your own metal or paper straws; and check out reusable utinsel sets to avoid plasticware. Carry your own water bottle. Stash a few of the compact, foldable shopping bags that can be machine washed to avoid plastic bags. Air dry laundry on a clothes line or drying rack. Just practical ideas! What are your suggestions? We’d love to know! Thanks for conserving petroleum and buying your food locally

• Papaya
• Baby Kale
• Green Sorrel
• Baby Red Sorrel
• Field Mix
• Field Arugula
• Tatsoi
• Spearmint
• Mixed Edible Flowers
• Micro Color Mix
• Green Tomatoes
• Parsley
• Fresh Select Eggs
• Turmeric *
• Ginger *

So many suggestions for this week’s bountiful share: greens in a quiche or omelette that includes microgreen mix inside and more when plated, garnished with a few of the edible flowers. The eggs can also be blown out and used as ornaments. Try a creation with a dremel tool, carving out a design in the shell and painted with red sorrel juice for a fun project. The flowers can be pressed into service in between wax paper for lampshades, or try painting the violets with egg white and rolling it gently in a fine sugar for candied flowers. Of course, any salad you make can be garnished with both the microgreens and edible flowers for a bright and cheerful presentation. Papaya pie!Yeah, a little different, but I wanted to share my results: skinned, deseeded and chopped papaya was tossed with juice from 2 limes, !approximately ¾ cup of brown sugar, 2 tbs of honey, 1 ½  tbs of corn starch, plus healthy dashes of cinnamon and vanilla. This was poured into a prepared pie shell and baked on a jelly roll pan at 350F for 30 minutes. I thought it looked a little runny at end time so I dusted the top with some more corn starch, used a spoon to gently fold that into the papaya filling and baked it for at least another 20 minutes. See the results in the photos and please overlook the tell-tale dusting trail…we thought it turned out very yummy! Maybe you will try it? It was very hard to not be fooled into thinking that this was a peachy experience. Try your papaya as a replacement for peach in recipes, adding citrus to help cinch the deal Try with your green sorrel. Papaya cooked with ginger and turmeric makes a very nice jam/compote/chutney for the table from toast to curries. Have a marvelous week!

• Baby Kale
• Green Sorrel
• Rainbow Chard
• Field Mix
• Field Arugula
• Oregano
• Mint
• Edible Flowers
• Epazote
• Green Tomatoes
• Turmeric *
• Ginger *

*will select pieces from display to avoid over-refrigeration

Budding Ginger and Turmeric : When looking at this week’s CSA farm share, inspiration for green tomatoes three ways popped up immediately: as a pickle, infused with sprigs from your edible flowers; as a curry, combining with wilted sorrel and a mint yogurt garnish; and lastly as a stew with a southern flare, cooking with the spring oregano and epazote.  Serve either the curry or stewed tomatoes over rice.  Very special this week, we have for a limited time some ginger and turmeric that is perfect for grating into the pan for that curry, brewing into a spring tonic tea, or trying your hand at growing a piece. We have the best results when we use sterile pots and coco coir as the medium. Since these are tropical, they are not frost tolerant and require an average temperature around 75f so having these in pots means they can be moved to shade if we have a heat index of 111f as we did last summer, or moved inside to avoid freezing. Pots on a patio are also much less likely to suffer from soil borne diseases and pests. Turmeric has a downward growth energy so it is planted in fully filled pot near the top to allow fingers to form below. Ginger on the otherhand has an upward growth energy and we plant these very shallow in the pot in the middle of a several inches of soil. Later in the season as the rhizome pushes upward, more growing medium is added. If the ginger is not “hilled up”, it is more likely to push leafy stalks and a better yield is missed out upon. These rhizomes can be harvested in late fall, holding back some sections for future plantings. We are working on a new site, www.gingeru.com to facilitate education about growing these. Regardless, they’re delicious!

Budding Ginger

• Fresh Ginger
• Fresh Turmeric
• Papaya
• Lemon
• Kumquats
• Baby Kale
• Baby Red Sorrel
• Tatsoi
• Arugula
• Mint
• Lemongrass
• Delicata
• Tomatoes

2017 CSA Winter January 7th: Citrus, tropical fruits and rhizomes! An exotic start to the new year…More info from Dr. Carlin Rafie on turmeric, listing its usage for the following: respiratory conditions, liver disorders, rheumatism, diabetic wounds, cough and sinusitis, anorexia, abdominal pain, sprains and swelling. Shealso references the therapeutic effects as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, thrombosuppressive, antiarthritic, and cardioprotective. I have a friend who likes it in the kitchen as a medical aid for cuts, helping to stop bleeding, lend analgesic action and antibiotic treatment.  Recent findings stongly suggest that turmeric be used together with black pepper as it greatly increases the bioavailability of the curcumin compounds, with one stating that it was raised by 2000%. Curries and golden milk are popular uses for turmeric; i like it combined with ginger, cinnamon, coconut milk and as a tea, chopping it fresh into the pot with a dash of black pepper and using it as a base for brewing my favorite tea bag, adding a dash of milk or cream for a bit of fat as that also increases absorption. Imagine it as a spicy carrot flavor and grate it along with your ginger for a quick stir-fry of your tatsoi with a dash of black pepper into some coconut oil…yum! Have a great week, all!