Denison Farms

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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 26
This is the final Harvest Box

In your box today: 1 bunch Carrots, 1 bunch chard, 1 bunch Scottish Kale, 2 Onions & 1 small Garlic, 3-4# Sweet Meat Squash, Bell Peppers or Red Grape Tomatoes, 2# Gold Rush Apples - These apples are intensely flavored, and pretty tart, but will sweeten up a bit if you leave them in your refrigerator for a few weeks (grown by LaMancha Ranch & Orchard)
(weights are approximate) Everything is Organic!

Fuyu Persimmons
    Fuyu Persimmons are best eaten while somewhat firm. (Hachiya  persimmons are the type that must be as soft as jelly before they are edible). If you eat an unripe persimmon, it will be unpleasantly astringent.
    Quite likely, the persimmons in your box today are technically ripe, but they will be nicer if given a few days at room temperature to continue ripening and become a bit softer. You can use them in a Thanksgiving centerpiece, then eat them on Friday or Saturday.
    Fuyu persimmons are at their best when they are as soft as a ripe peach or avocado. The fruit should give very slightly to thumb pressure, but not much. The ideal texture is firm, but a little slippery like a ripe mango or peach.
When ripe, Fuyu persimmons can vary in color from deep dark orange, to a lighter yellow-orange, or greenish-yellow. Color isn't the best judge of ripeness.
    We suggest leaving your persimmons on the counter until each fruit reaches that slightly-soft feel. Then refrigerate it until you're ready to eat it. There's no harm in eating a completely soft Fuyu persimmon, but many people prefer Fuyu persimmons before they are as soft as jelly.
    To serve Fuyu persimmons: cut off the calyx, then cut each persimmon into wedges. The skin is edible, but many people prefer to remove it. Fuyu persimmons are nice just by themselves, or sliced thinly and spread on warm toast, or in a bowl with vanilla ice cream, or sliced thinly to garnish a cheesecake.

Squash in a crock pot!
    Sweet Meat squash is excellent mashed with butter, or as a substitute for canned pumpkin in pumpkin pie.  A cut piece of squash should be cooked within a few days. However, after it is cooked, squash can be frozen and used later at your convenience for soup, casseroles, pumpkin bread, or pie.
A Corvallis Market customer recently told me about this super-easy method of cooking winter squash. Place a whole winter squash or your large chunk of Sweet Meat squash in a crock pot. Add 2 Tbs. water. Cover, and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours (or longer), until the squash is quite soft. I tried it this with a chunk of Sweet Meat squash, and it turned out great.

End of the Season
      This is the final box of the season. Next year's box will start in June. We'll mail brochures for next season in early February. If you have any mailing address updates, please notify us so your brochure will reach you!

Fresh, Local Produce through the winter
Although the Harvest Box season is over, our produce is available through the winter at a couple of Winter Markets: 
* Every Saturday, all year, we are at the McMinnville Public Market (mccminnvillepublicmarket.com).
* Starting January 12, the Corvallis Indoor Winter Market at the Benton County Fairgrounds will be open every Saturday through April 13, at the Benton County Fairgrounds. For more For more information, visit www.facebook.com/Corvallis.Indoor.Winter.Market. Both of those markets are indoors, and feature a mixture of farmers and artisans.
* New this year, the Beaverton Farmers Market will hold an outdoor Winter Market 1st & 3rd Saturdays of February, March, and April. The winter Beaverton Market starts on  the first Saturday of February.
Through the winter, we expect to have a good supply of salad mix, spinach, kale, collards, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, and winter squash.
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 25
Our season is 26 weeks long. Next week is the final Harvest Box

In your box today: 1 bunch Carrots, 1 Cabbage, 1 Delicata Squash, 1 bunch Italian Kale, 2 Leeks, 1.5# Baby Sweet Potatoes, 1 stalk Tumeric, 1 head Garlic, 2# Liberty Apples (LaMancha Ranch & Orchard)(weights are approximate)Everything is Organic!

Fresh Tumeric
    Every year, Tom likes to try something really new and different. This year, we have a harvest of Fresh Tumeric.  Tumeric is most commonly known as the spice that gives curry powder it’s orange color. However, in the past few years, tumeric has gained quite a bit of attention as the root that contains cucurmin, which has multiple health benefits.  An internet search for ”turmeric benefits” yields many pages of results including an article by Andrew Weil in The Huffington Post, praising turmeric’s antioxidant, anti cancer, anti inflammatory, anti viral, and anti fungal properties. 
    Tumeric is also a delicious and popular seasoning, though it can be an acquired taste. It has an earthy, bitter flavor. Tom has enjoyed it for years, but I am a more recent convert.  We usually slice the rhizome very thinly and cook it in fried rice, or stir fry, like we would use ginger or garlic.  We have found that the lower tender parts of the stem can be used this way too, if sliced very thinly.  Having developed a taste for it, I now enjoy thin slices in a salad also, though I’m not sure I would recommend you try it that way first.  We read that the leaves are edible, so I used some of the tough outer leaves as a wrapper to steam fish. Recipe: Cut rockfish or ling cod into serving-sized pieces.  Grate 1 tsp. each fresh ginger and fresh tumeric root on top raw fish. Wrap in Tumeric leaf and tie with a string. Place in steamer over boiling water for 20 minutes.  The fish was delicious, and mildly seasoned by the leaves (but you don’t eat the leaves). My favorite part of this meal was how lovely the wrapped packages of steamed fish look on the plate.
Storage suggestion: if you don’t plan to use your tumeric root this week, it will probably keep best in the freezer, either whole, grated, or sliced thinly.

Italian Kale
    This is one of the most popular varieties of kale. It is sometimes called Tuscan Kale or Dinosaur Kale (perhaps because the leaf looks like how someone imagines dinosaur skin looked?). We love it sliced in shreds, then stir fried with garlic, olive oil, and a little balsamic vinegar.

Sweet Potatoes
    Most of this week’s boxes have what we lovingly call “baby bakers”. Small sweet potato tubers that have all the sweetness and flavor of larger sweet potatoes, but which didn’t have quite enough growing time this season to get bigger. Fortunately, since all our produce is organic, there is no need to peel these small tubers—just scrub them to remove any dirt. Then roast them either whole or cut into ½-inch thick discs.  Add a little salt and olive oil to the roasting pan, and stick them in a 350 – 375-degree oven until cooked. You can add a little cinnamon and/or black pepper to them for additional flavor.
    Store sweet potatoes on the counter, not in the refrigerator.

End of the Season
      There is only 1 more week in this week’s season. Next week, we will pack your produce in bags inside the boxes, so you can just take the produce and leave the box at your pick-up site. (Please return any extra empty tubs by next week.)

Produce through the Winter
Although the Harvest Box season is nearly over, you can find our produce at a couple of Farmers Markets through the winter.  The McMinnville Public Market is held every Saturday, all year. The Corvallis Indoor Winter Market starts January 12, and is open every Saturday through April 13. We also supply the First Alternative Grocery (in Corvallis) with some items all winter.
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 24
Our season is 26 weeks long. You have 2 more weeks of Harvest Boxes

In your box today: 1 Fennel, 1 bunch Carrots, 1 box Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, 2 Bell Peppers, 2 Sweet Dumpling Squash, 1 head Broccoli, 3# Potatoes, 1/4# Fresh Ginger, 2# Rome Apples (from Gala SpringsFarm) (weights are approximate) Everything is Organic!

End of the Season Approaches
     There are only 2 more weeks of Harvest Box season this year. (Where does the time go?!) 
     Please round up any empty tubs that you have and bring them back by the last week. For the final week, we will pack your produce in bags, so you can leave the last box at your pick-up site.

Looking ahead to next year
     We expect to mail our 2013 brochures in early February of next year. Our 2013 season will be 26 weeks long, from June until Thanksgiving.  The membership price will increase by about $1/week.  This is our first price increase since 2008. Brochures will be mailed in early February.

Fennel
       Fennel is very popular in Italy where it is known as Finocchio.  Thomas Jefferson enjoyed it, grew it in his garden at Monticello, and lamented that it was not more widely appreciated in this country.  100 years later, the Vilmorin seed company of Paris wrote that it was not much used in France, but deserved to be more extensively cultivated.  Perhaps fennel is destined to always be a minor vegetable, but it is one of our favorites.  While fennel is closely related to celery, it is the bulb that is used either raw or cooked rather than the stalks. 
    To prepare fennel: cut off outer stalks-they are stringy, and suitable only for soup stock. What remains is a large white bulb, and some bright green inner stalks and leaf fronds. These inner leaf stalks and frilly leaves can be sliced thinly or minced and added to soup, or used to garnish something like a tuna salad. Our favorite way to add nutrition and a mysterious sweetness to spaghetti sauce is to add finely minced inner stalks & fronds of a fennel bulb.
    To use the bulb: cut a thin slice off the bottom (the stem end), then cut the bulb vertically into wedges or horizontally into slices. Rinse the cut pieces to remove any dirt that has settled between the layers. Then enjoy the bulb raw sliced in a salad (as you would celery), or cooked.  Most recipes for using fennel raw in a salad recommend slicing the bulb very thinly for best texture.  If you're using it cooked, the bulb can be left in larger pieces.
    Fennel bulb is lovely in a sauté, braised, or baked. When cooked, fennel has a mild flavor, and creamy texture. Here's my favorite Easy Fennel Bake: Rinse & slice 1 large fennel bulb in 1/4-inch slices. Layer fennel in an 8 x 8-inch baking dish or deep pie dish with 2-3 cloves peeled, sliced raw garlic, and a good handful of crumbled Gorgonzola cheese. Drizzle 2 Tbs. olive oil over the top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 - 25 minutes. It's done when the fennel is very tender.

Sweet Dumpling Squash
    The easiest way to deal with Sweet Dumpling Squash is to cook them whole. To prepare, rinse squash and place (uncovered) in a baking dish in a 350- to 375-degree oven. Bake for about an hour, until it is soft, and your kitchen smells sweet.  To serve, cut around the stem (like you're making a Jack-O-Lantern), and remove the top. Scoop out and discard the seeds. Then use a spoon to eat the creamy, sweet flesh from the inside out. The skin (and also the seeds, and the pulp around the seeds) is edible, though we find it less tender than Delicata skin.

Fresh Ginger      
    Check the Week 21 newsletter for a bunch of ideas for using fresh ginger. For this week, I recommend substituting broccoli for collards in the Stir-fried Collards with Ginger recipe (I originally developed the recipe using broccoli). Here's another way to prepare Broccoli with Ginger from Gourmet Magazine (March 2007): Prepare broccoli by separating florets into "trees". Peel and slice stem into 1/4" thick slices. Cook broccoli 3-4 minutes in boiling water (uncovered) until crisp-tender. Drain. Heat 3 Tbs. olive oil in a skillet over moderate high heat until hot, but not smoking. Saute 1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger, stirring until fragrant (about 15 seconds). Add broccoli and sauté, stirring, until tender (2-3 minutes).
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 23
Our season is 26 weeks long. You have 3 more weeks of Harvest Boxes

In your box today: 1 Cabbage, 1 bunch Arugula, 1 bunch Red Kale, 1 bunch Carrots, 1 head Broccoli,
1 head Cauliflower, 1 garlic, 1.5# Sweet Potatoes, 2# Cameo Apples (from Gala SpringsFarm) (weights are approximate)
Everything is Organic!

Sweet Potatoes
    Sweet potatoes are native to South America. Wild sweet potatoes have grown in Peru for nearly 10,000 years!
Although some grocery stores label sweet potatoes as "yams", technically a yam is an edible, starchy root, native to Africa. Everything you see in the grocery store is probably a sweet potato.
    Please store your sweet potatoes on the counter, NOT IN THE REFRIGERATOR. If sweet potaotes get too cold, they may develop an odd flavor or texture.
    Our favorite way to cook sweet potatoes is roasted. The skins are generally tender, so we don't bother to peel them.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes: cut sweet potatoes into chunks or "French fry"-sized pieces. Coat with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Cook in a 400-degree oven for 25-35 minutes. Stir after 20 minutes. Actual cooking time depends on the size of your pieces. When they are done, the edges will be slightly browned, and your kitchen should smell like caramel. Yum.

Cabbage
    Cabbage is one of our favorite vegetables. We enjoy it raw in a salad as well as cooked. Traditional cole slaw is dressed with a mayonnaise dressing, but finely chopped cabbage salad is nice with vinaigrette dressing (1/2 cup olive oil, 2 Tbs. lemon juice, 2 Tbs. cider vinegar, and any fresh herbs you have handy), or a creamy dressing (we love Drew's Lemon Goddess dressing-but any creamy dressing would work).
    Cabbage is easy to add to soups, stews, and casseroles. When cooked, the flavor is quite mild, so you can add quite a bit of nutrition without changing the flavor of your favorite dish. We always add several cups of finely chopped cabbage to chili, and I like to add chopped cabbage to meatballs. Once cooked, you can't even tell it's there. Here is a recipe idea that really features cabbage. I got this recipe from Katie & Casey Culla of Oakhill Organics. Their farm is near McMinnville. They found the original recipe in an article on Austrian street food in Saveur magazine.
Cabbage & Noodles
1. Begin by chopping an onion or two (or a leek from last week's box?). In a deep pan with liberal amounts of butter or olive oil, sauté the onion until translucent (about 5 minutes).
2. Add to the pan: half a head of finely chopped cabbage. Add more butter or oil as needed to prevent cabbage from sticking. Stir, and then cover to let cabbage wilt. Every 5 minutes or so, remove the cover and stir until cabbage is very soft (about 20 minutes), adding more butter or oil as necessary. 
3. When cabbage is soft, cut 2 bratwurst-style sausages into chunks and toss on top of the cabbage. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, or until sausages are cooked.
4. Meanwhile, cook a package of egg noodles, drain and add to the pan with cabbage and sausage. Mix together and add salt & pepper to taste.
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 22
Our season is 26 weeks long. You have 4 more weeks of Harvest Boxes

In your box today: 1/2# Spinach, 1 bunch Carrots, 1 head Broccoli, 1 head Cauliflower, 1 basket Cherry Tomatoes  (Corvallis) OR 1.5# Sweet Girl  tomatoes (Albany /Salem boxes), 1 Sunshine squash, 2 Leeks, 2# German Butterball Potatoes, 2# Abate Fatel Pears (from Gala SpringsFarm) (weights are approximate)
    Everything is Organic!

Salem Weds Market-ends Oct 31
     If you have vacation credits, and wish to use them at the Salem Market, please stop by the market to use them by October 31. After Oct.31 you may use your credit vouchers at the Corvallis Weds & Saturday markets (through November 21st), but that will require a drive to Corvallis.

This is a great week for pie!
Pear Pie
Have you ever tried pear pie? I recommend it! Abate Fetel pears make excellent pie! Start with your favorite apple pie recipe -- substituting pears for apples. It is not necessary to peel the pears. Personally, I find pears sweeter than apples, so you can reduce or omit the sugar. Otherwise, follow a basic apple pie recipe.

Leek Pie
The original recipe came from one of our Corvallis market customers. Thanks Wendolyn. I have also included my own dairy-free variation.
2 large leeks, cleaned and sliced into thin rings (use the white part and inner green leaves)
2 Tbs. butter
1/2 lb. Crumbled Roquefort or grated gruyere cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup plain yogurt or heavy cream
pie dough for a double crust pie
    Sauté leek rings in butter on medium heat for 30 minutes. (Yes, 30 minutes. Cover if it seems to be getting too dry). Add cheese, egg, and yogurt or cream. Pour into pie crust. Cover with top crust. (The top crust is optional). Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Elizabeth's Indonesian Leek Pie
    I created this one when we were looking for some satisfying dairy-free ideas for our family. We served it when some friends from Indonesia were over and they said it reminded them very much of a recipe from their homeland.
2 large leeks, cleaned and sliced into thin rings       
2 Tbs. butter or coconut oil                     
1/2 tsp salt                           
1 large or 2 small eggs, beaten                   
1/2 can coconut milk                       
grated rind and juice of 1 large lemon or 2 limes       
pie crust (either single or double crust)           
    Sauté leek rings in butter with salt over medium heat for 30 minutes. Add coconut milk, eggs, lemon or lime juice, and grated lemon/lime rind. Pour into pie crust. Cover with (optional) top crust. Bake at 350o for 35-40 minutes.

Squash Pie (also known a pumpkin pie)
Sunshine squash makes excellent "pumpkin" pie. My favorite recipe comes from my 1975 edition Joy of Cooking: Line a pie pan with pie dough. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Mix until well blended:
2 cups cooked, mashed squash (see newsletter week 20 for instructions to bake squash)
1 1/2 cups undiluted evaporated milk or rich cream (or coconut milk for dairy-free)
1/4 brown sugar & 1/2 cup white sugar (I usually reduce the sugar, since squash is sweeter than pumpkin)
1/2 tsp. salt,
1 tsp cinnamon,
1/2 tsp dried ginger (or 1 tsp grated fresh ginger),
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg,
1/8 tsp cloves,
2 slightly beaten eggs.
    Pour mixture into pie shell. Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 45 min. longer.
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 21
Our season is 26 weeks long. You have 5 more weeks of Harvest Boxes

In your box today: ½# Spinach, 1 bunch Carrots, 1 bunch Radishes (Try radishes in a stir-fry!), 1 basket Grape Tomatoes
(Albany & Salem) OR 1.5#  Sweet Girl tomatoes (Corvallis), 1 red onion, ½# Romano Green beans, 1 bunch Collards, 1 Butternut squash,  ¼# Fresh Ginger,  2# Liberty Apples (from La  Mancha Ranch & Orchard)  (weights are approximate) Everything is Organic!

Fresh Young Ginger
      Please enjoy Fresh Young Ginger all the ways you would use mature ginger, and more! Because Fresh Young Ginger does not have the fibers and thick skin found in mature ginger, it does not need to be peeled, just gently scrubbed clean of any dirt. Then you can slice or mince the entire root, and use in stir-fry, tea, or sauces. The stem part lacks the hotness that you find in the root, but is a lovely addition to soup stock.
    Ginger is a tropical plant, so it would prefer to sit on the counter if you will use it within a week. Cover loosely with a plastic bag, but do not refrigerate. If you won’t use it by next week, fresh ginger will keep better in the freezer. Freeze minced or thinly sliced ginger in individual portions or in bulk, or freeze the entire rhizome and shave or grate as needed right from the freezer.
    Fresh young ginger is used to make Pickled Ginger (also known as gari) is sometimes served with sushi or sashimi. It helps to clean the palate, and enhances the flavors of the meal. Here’s how to make your own pickled ginger:    Slice young ginger as thinly as possible. Cover with rice vinegar and a pinch of salt. The ginger slices may turn slightly pink as they sit in the vinegar. Cover and store in the refrigerator. Some recipes call for adding sugar, and varying amounts of salt. I used unseasoned rice vinegar (seasoned rice vinegar has sugar added), and found it very pleasant, though definitely sour. If your palate prefers sweeter flavors, use seasoned rice vinegar or add a touch of sugar.

Soy Ginger Dipping Sauce   
    ½ cup soy sauce
    ¼ cup rice vinegar or rice wine
    1 tsp. sesame oil (use red pepper sesame oil for a hot pepper kick)
    2 Tbs. finely minced fresh ginger
    1 Tbs. chopped green onion (optional)
Add all ingredients to a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well. Serve as a dipping sauce for tempura, dumplings, spring rolls, or pot stickers. For a quick dinner, pot-stickers are available in the freezer section of grocery stores.

Ginger Tea   
    Mince, grate, or chop fresh ginger root. Simmer in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drink warm, or chill and mix half & half with sparkling water for a refreshing drink.

Stir-fried Collards with ginger
1.    Slice 1 bunch collards into ribbons (roll the leaves to make slicing easier)
2.    Mince 2 – 4 Tbs. fresh ginger.
3.    Combine 2 Tbs. soy sauce with 1 Tbs. rice vinegar or rice wine (also known as Mirin).
4.    Combine 1 Tbs. cornstarch with ½ cup water
    Heat a wok or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 Tbs. peanut oil. When oil shimmers, add ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute. Then add collards. Stir-fry over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. While pan is still on the hot burner, add soy sauce/rice vinegar. Stir to coat greens. Then add cornstarch dissolved in ½ cup water and stir rapidly as the sauce thickens. If it seems to be too thick, and not enough sauce, add up to ½ cup additional water while stirring. Cover, turn off heat, and leave pan on hot burner for 5 minutes. Stir one more time, and serve warm.

Butternut Squash    
    See Last Year’s Newsletters, Week 23 for my favorite Butternut Soup recipe. Add ¼ cup grated Fresh Young Ginger to the soup for Gingery Squash Soup.
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 20
Our season is 26 weeks long. You have 6 more weeks of Harvest Boxes

In your box today: 1 Lettuce, 1 basket Grape Tomatoes, 1 Cucumber, 1 bunch Kale, 1 Sweet Onion, 1 head Garlic, 3# Red Potatoes, 1 Sunshine squash,1 basket Raspberries, 2# Jonagold Apples (from La Mancha Ranch & Orchard) (weights are approximate) Everything is Organic!

Apple confusion
     The apples in last week's box were Gala apples from Gala Springs Farm. This week, the apples truly are Jonagold apples from La Mancha Ranch & Orchard in Sweet Home. Sorry for the incorrect information in the newsletter.

Winter Squash
    This beautiful fall weather makes many people think about pumpkins, gourds, and cornstalks.  The earliest immigrants from Europe to North America learned to grow pumpkins and corn from the people that were already here.  Pumpkins and winter squash were useful before food was shipped all over the globe because they are productive, nourishing, and can be stored into the winter when other vegetables are not available.  Sunshine squash (in today's box) is a variety of Kabocha winter squash, bred by Johnny's Selected seeds in Albion Maine a few years ago.  We think it is one of the best tasting winter squashes. It has a skin that is tender enough that it doesn't need to be peeled.
    Store winter squashes at room temperature.
How to cook winter squash
    There are several options for cooking winter squash. Most varieties of winter squash can be steamed, baked, sautéed, or used in soups or stews. Cooking method depends on how much time you have, what texture you are looking for in the finished dish, and how large & sharp your kitchen knife is. Steaming is quicker. Baking takes longer. Sunshine squash is fairly tender when cooked, so steaming or baking are good choices. Butternut squash (which you will see some week soon) holds its shape better when cooked, so is a good choice for a sauté or curry.
    Steamed squash: Using a large, sharp knife, cut squash in half. Scoop out the seeds with a large spoon. Then slice the squash into "smile"-shaped pieces, approximately 1/2" thick. Steam for 10 - 20 minutes until tender. Serve with butter.
    Baked squash: If you don't have a large, sharp knife, you can bake squash whole. However, I prefer to cut my squash in half, scoop out the seeds, then place the halves cut-side-down in a baking dish with 1/2-inch of water.The water in the pan will keep the edges moist, and also helps the squash bake faster than in a dry pan. Bake at 350 - 375 degrees for 60- 90 minutes, or until very soft. When the squash has cooled to touch, mash with butter or coconut milk. Baked, mashed squash is better than pumpkin in any pumpkin pie recipe.

Hot & Sour Greens  (adapted from Andrew Weil, 8 Weeks to Optimum Health)  
(Many of you have seen this recipe before, as it is my all-time favorite recipe, but it's just so easy & good!)
1 bunch greens (collards, kale, mustard, bok choy, chard, or any other greens)
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
dash of red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. dry mustard powder
2 Tbs. rice vinegar
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. brown sugar (optional)
    Rinse and slice greens into 1/2-inch ribbons. Heat oil, stir-fry garlic and pepper flakes 1 minute.
Add greens and mustard powder. Stir to coat greens with garlic and oil. Combine rice vinegar, soy sauce, and (optional) sugar. Add to skillet. Cook, covered, over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 19
Our season is 26 weeks long. You have 7 more weeks of Harvest Boxes

In your box today: 1 Lettuce, 1 bu French Breakfast Radish, 1# Sweet Italian Peppers, 2# Sweet Girl Tomatoes (Albany & Salem boxes) OR 2 pints Cherry Tomatoes (Corvallis boxes), 1 head Broccoli, 1 Delicata squash, 1 Watermelon (Corvallis boxes) OR 1 pint Italian Plums (Albany & Salem boxes), 2# Jonagold Apples (from La  Mancha Ranch & Orchard) (weights are approximate)  Everything is Organic!

Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onions
    Apparently this recipe was recently published in Guiliano Hazan's new cookbook Hazan Family Favorites: Beloved Italian Recipes (2012). It has appeared in several food blogs in the past 6 months, and came across my desk from several different directions. I decided to try it with Sweet Girl tomatoes last night. My family loved it! I heartily recommend trying this. 
Ingredients:
2 pounds ripe tomatoes
1 medium sweet onion
5 Tbs. butter (if using unsalted butter, add 1 1/4 teaspoons salt)
Freshly ground pepper

1. Peel tomatoes (Drop tomatoes into boiling water for 1 minute, then  plunge into ice water to cool. After a few minutes in the ice water, the skins should slip off easily.)
2. Coarsely chop tomatoes. Peel onion and cut in half.
3. Put tomatoes, onion halves, & butter into a saucepan over medium heat. When tomatoes begin to bubble, lower the heat to a slow but steady simmer. Cook, stirring every 10 - 15 minutes for about 45 minutes. Then remove the onion and mash tomatoes with a potato masher. Continue cooking until thick (15 - 30 minutes longer), mashing as necessary to make smooth sauce. Add freshly ground pepper to taste.
4. Serve over 1 pound of spaghetti.

Cherry Tomato Soup    (Modified from Deborah Madison, Local Flavors, 2002. Chilled Sungold Soup)
2 pints Sungold or Red Cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup minced red onion
sea salt & freshly ground pepper
Garnish option #1: Combine the following:
3 Tbs. Champagne vinegar (if using Sungolds), or 2 Tbs Balsamic vinegar (if Red Cherry Tomatoes)
2 tsp. finely diced Serrano chile, optional
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 firm avocado, finely diced
1 Tbs. chopped basil or cilantro
Garnish option #2:
1 Tbs. pesto
    Pluck the stems off the tomatoes and rinse them. Place tomatoes, half the onion, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1 cup of water in a heavy saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes.
    Run the tomatoes through a food mill or press through a sieve to remove skins. Note: do not use a food processor or hand blender for this step-it is important to remove the skins.
    Chill pureed tomatoes.
    Just before serving, choose Garnish #1 or Garnish #2. Spoon the soup into small bowls. Divide the garnish among them. Taste, and add a touch of salt or pepper if you wish.
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 18
Our season is 26 weeks long. You have 8 more weeks of Harvest Boxes

In your box today: 1 Lettuce, 1 bunch Carrots, 1 Red Onion, 1# Red Bell Peppers, 1# Tomatoes, 1 head Broccoli, 1 Watermelon, 1 Melon (Albany & Salem Boxes) or 1 pint French Petite Plums (Corv. Boxes), 2# Winter Banana Apples (from Gala Springs Farm) (weights are approimate)  Everything is Organic!

Fall is here
    Fall has arrived and the nights are now longer than the days.  We are grateful that the dry weather is continuing because we are harvesting our potatoes, winter squash, and onions to store for the winter.  When the weather is dry we can harvest these crops without mud sticking to them.  Not only does this keep the produce cleaner and help it store longer, it also leaves the soil in the field where it is needed instead of on the floor of our barn where it is not. Fall is a time when we till under the remains of summer crops and plant winter ones, and we can't do that if it is raining.  A little bit of rain to settle the dust would be fine, but if the soil gets saturated we can't do field work until it dries again, which can be a slow process this time of year.  Within the next month or so we will be planting spinach, salad greens, garlic, fava beans, and sweet onions.  Spreading compost, tilling and planting all need to happen before the soil gets too wet.

Watermelon
    The watermelon in your box is one that was bred to be small enough to fit in a refrigerator and suit smaller families.  When Tom started farming in the 1970's most watermelons weighed 20-25 pounds.  That's great for large gatherings, but not so great for everyday use in smaller households.  Most of you will get a red fleshed melon, but some might get a yellow fleshed one if there are not enough red ones for all our members.

Winter Banana Apples
    This is another variety of apples from our friends Martin and Denise Pitney of Gala Springs Farm. Winter Banana apples are an heirloom variety first grown in Indiana around 1875. Apparently named Winter Banana because someone thought the fruit smelled like banana. The flavor is a nice combination of sweet and tart. Good for fresh eating, and also for cooking.  Please handle these gently and refrigerate or eat promptly.  This variety is easily bruised, so you won't often find it in the supermarket, but we look forward to enjoying it each fall.  Our kids really like  fresh homemade applesauce on pancakes or in their breakfast cereal.  To make it we quarter an apple or two, peel and core them, and slice thinly into a saucepan.  Adding a small amount of water so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot, cover and steam until the apples are soft enough to mash into sauce.  This might take 10 minutes or so.  It's fun to leave the sauce slightly "chunky."   If we add just a couple of blackberries from the freezer, the sauce turns a beautiful red color, and the flavor of both fruits comes through nicely.

Elizabeth out of town
    Elizabeth is out of town this week and I'm filling in for her.  If anything doesn't go as planned this week, it is because we are missing her strong organizational skills.  Thanks for choosing us to be your farmers.
    Tom
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 17
Our season is 26 weeks long. You have 9 more weeks of Harvest Boxes

In your box today:  1/2# Spinach, 1 bunch Arugula, 2 Cucumbers, 1 pint grape tomatoes, 1.25# Heirloom Tomatoes
OR 2# Sweet Girl Tomatoes, 1 head Broccoli, 1# Sweet Italian Peppers, 1 head Garlic, 1 Melon (Corvallis Boxes) or 1 pint French Petite Plums  (Salem & Albany Boxes), 2# Abate Fetel Pears (from Gala Springs Farm) (weights are approimate) Everything is Organic!

Abate Fetel Pears
    Unlike apples, pears need to be picked from the tree before they are ripe. After picking, pears must ripen before they are perfect for eating.  We suggest leaving your pears on the kitchen counter until the flesh near the stem end "gives" slightly to thumb pressure, then refrigerate until ready to eat. Personal preferences for prime ripeness vary. The pears in your box today are sweet and good flavored now, but still crunchy.  They might need 2-3 days to ripen for best eating quality if you prefer a softer pear. Abate Fetel pears do not typically show much color change with ripeness-do not expect the skin color to turn from green to yellow.
    There are many different varieties of pears grown in the Northwest, and all have different flavors, textures, and aromas. When ripe, the Abate Fetel pear is sweet, with a floral-honey aroma, and crisp texture.  It is the most popular pear in Italy. Try it sliced for dessert, or in a salad. Here is an idea from the Internet (www.thekitchn.com) that highlights two of the items in your box this week:
Wilted Arugula and Pear Salad  (serves 2)
4 large handfuls of arugula (about 12 ounces)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
1 barely ripe Abate Fetel pear
3 ounces of soft blue cheese
Salt and pepper
    Heat a large skillet over medium heat with the olive oil. Lightly sauté the arugula until just wilted. Toss with the vinegar. Arrange on two plates. Slice the pear thinly and lay over the arugula, then crumble the cheese over and season with salt and pepper.

Arugula
    There's no mistaking the peppery flavor of arugula. And because Arugula has such a notable flavor, it's hard to not have a definite opinion about it-you either love it or hate it. If you love it, you'll probably like it in a salad, or on a sandwich instead of lettuce. If you need a quick and simple summer meal, you can substitute arugula for basil in your standard pesto recipe.
The flavor of arugula becomes much milder if you wilt it or cook it slightly. We like to garnish brothy soups by tossing a handful of chopped arugula on top as a garnish. Deborah Madison (in the cookbook Local Flavors) suggests tossing raw arugula on top of a caramelized onion pizza the moment it comes out of the oven. The heat in the pizza will wilt the arugula just enough to take away the intensity of the peppery arugula, and the sweetness of the caramelized onions balances the strength of the arugula.

French Petite Plums (also known as sugar plums)
    Years ago,Tom had a neighbor with a tree of this variety, and always thought they tasted fantastic.  So he planted a few of his own. They were bred to produce prunes (dried plums) and they sometimes start to dry and wrinkle before they are picked.  Don't let their small size or homely appearance put you off, they posses a sweet rich flavor that is nice as a fresh plum, cut up in a bowl of hot cereal, or cooked into a plum cake or topping for cheesecake.
    We didn't have enough plums for everyone this week, so if you pick up your box in Corvallis, you should have a melon this week. Next week, we plan to send plums to Corvallis, and a melon to Albany & Salem.
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 16
In your box today: 1/2# Salad Mix, 1 Cucumber, 1 pint grape tomatoes, 1# Heirloom Tomatoes OR 2# Sweet Girl Tomatoes (we'll switch it up next week), 1 head Broccoli, 1# Sweet Italian Peppers, 5 ears corn, 1 Margarita Melon, 2# Gala Apples (from Gala  Springs Farm) (weights are approimate) Everything is Organic!

Margarita Melon
   Although we planted our usual variety of watermelons and specialty melons way back in June, many of the plants didn't grow well, and we thought our melons were going to be a complete crop failure. Fortunately, one variety grew well, and all matured this week. So we have a Margarita Melon for your box today. Margarita Melons have yellow skin, and pale sweet flesh. Margarita melons pair well with citrus, ginger, and mint. Your melon can stand alone as dessert, or be made into a cold soup or a fruit salad.

Sweet Italian Peppers
    Don't be fooled by the shape of the peppers in your box today. Although they have the same shape as Anaheim peppers, these Yellow Italian Peppers are totally sweet. They do, however, make lovely chiles rellenos.... Sweet Italian Peppers work well as a raw pepper (either in a salad, or on an antipasto plate), or cooked. Italian peppers are less juicy than bell peppers, which makes them ideal for a sauté. In fact, tossing Italian Peppers in a sauté pan with plenty of olive oil (and sweet onions & garlic if you have them handy) will create a most excellent topping for pasta. Add a little feta cheese, and dinner is served!

Sweet Corn
    This has been a good growing year for our corn! We hope you have been enjoying getting a few ears every week. Corn will be sweetest if you cook it the day you get it, or keep it refrigerated until you can cook it. After it is cooked, corn will keep for several days in the refrigerator. A leftover ear of corn is a favorite afternoon snack in our house. If you are having trouble eating all the corn in your box each week, cooked corn does freeze well. Husk corn, and blanch for 3-5 minutes in boiling water, then drop cooked ears into ice water to chill quickly. When cool, place an ear of corn upright in a pie dish, and use a sharp paring knife to slice off the kernels. The pie dish keeps the milky juice and cut-off kernels from dripping onto the floor. Then seal the cut-off kernels in a zip-top bag and freeze until you want to make corn biscuits, corn chowder, corn soup, corn pudding, or corn salsa.
Corn & Bean Salad
    Cook corn, and remove kernels. Mix with diced sweet Italian peppers (raw or charred), cooked black beans, diced fresh tomatoes, and steamed broccoli florets. Season with juice of 1 lime. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Gala Apples from Gala Springs Farm
    As fall approaches, you will be getting a variety of apples and pears from a couple of our friends who grow organic tree fruits. This week, we have Gala Apples from our friends Martin & Denise Pitney and at Gala Springs Farm. Tom got to know them when we were neighbors at the Beaverton Farmers Market, and we have put their apples and pears in our Harvest Box for many years.
    Gala apples are one of the earliest great-quality eating apples to mature in Oregon. For those of us who are committed to eating produce grown close to home, that's a blessing! Gala apples are a cross between Golden Delicious and Cox's Orange Pippin, an old English favorite. I think you can taste a hint of the Golden Delicious parentage. Some sources suggest a vanilla-like flavor and floral aroma. Gala apples are perfectly delicious for eating right out of the box. They also make very good pies, applesauce, and apple crisp.
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 15
In your box today: 1 head lettuce, 1 Cucumber, 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, 1# Heirloom Tomatoes
1 head Cauliflower, 1# Romano Beans, 1 Red Bell Pepper, 6 ears corn, 1 bunch Grapes (weights are approx.)  Everything is Organic!

Grapes
    Grapes rank in the top 20 food crops grown in the world. This is partly because in addition to being used fresh, they can be stored for later use as raisins, or wine.  Along with figs, and olives, grapes are one of the oldest cultivated plants because a piece of the plant can be cut off, carried someplace else, stuck in the ground, and it can create a new plant. Some sources estimate that there are between 10,000 and 20,000 varieties of grapes grown around the world! We have been planting seedless table grapes for 5 years, and have a dozen or so varieties so far.
    The grapes in your box this week are Canadice which are a cross between the French species Vitis vinifera, and the American species Vitis labrusca.  There are many wonderful V. vinifera grapes like Early Muscat, or Pinot Noir, (and also Thompson's Seedless & Red Flame), but many of them are susceptible to disease, or frost.  The V. labrusca grapes like Concord are hardy, disease resistant, and can have intense flavors.  Canadice gets its seedlessness from its French heritage and its hardiness and disease resistance from its American ancestors.  Tom was introduced to Canadice when he was studying agriculture in New York in the 1970's, so it's not a new variety. Canadice grapes can vary in color from honey colored with a reddish tint to darker purple-red, depending on how hot the summer has been.  Canadice is one of our favorites for fresh eating. You can also freeze them whole; then float in a glass of your favorite sparkling beverage instead of ice cubes.  Either way, we enjoy the sweet spicy taste of these small grapes.

Heirloom tomatoes
    An heirloom vegetable is one that has been handed down through several generations because of some positive attribute that kept people from abandoning it for some newer variety.  In Europe, they are known as Heritage varieties.  Heirloom tomatoes are enjoying a huge resurgence in popularity as people are rejecting the "perfect looking, but tasteless" tomatoes bred to withstand shipping from far off lands.  They come in a variety of shapes, flavors, sizes, colors, and textures.  We aren't convinced they are always better than a truly vine-ripened local red tomato, but it's fun to enjoy the variety they offer.  Depending on our harvest, you may get one or several kinds of heirlooms in your box. To appreciate the various flavors and textures of heirlooms, we suggest simply slicing them, and serving plain, or with a touch of salt, balsamic vinegar, or olive oil. For best flavor, please don't refrigerate your tomatoes.

Red Bell Pepper
    Ripe Bell peppers usually start out as green peppers. If left on the plant, they eventually ripen to red, orange, or yellow. We prefer to pick our peppers fully ripe, rather than green, as we think the flavor is nicer. When green peppers ripen to red, their levels of Vitamins C & A, and lycopene increase dramatically. Many sources suggest that lycopene (which is also found in tomatoes) has anti-cancer properties.

Stir-fried Romano Beans
    Melt 1 Tbs. butter over medium heat in a sauté pan.  Just as the butter has melted, add 1 pound of Romano beans, cut into 2-inch lengths. Stir over medium heat for about 3  minutes, until the butter starts to brown. Then cover, reduce the heat to medium-low. Remove cover about every 2 minutes, stir, and replace cover until total cooking time is approximately 10 minutes, and the skin on some of the beans is slightly blistered and browned. Add salt & pepper to taste. Serve warm.
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 14
In your box today: 1 head lettuce, 1 Cucumber, 1 pint cherry tomatoes, 2# Roma or Sweet Girl Tomatoes, 1 head Broccoli, 1 Sweet Onion, 2# Nicola Potatoes, 6 ears corn,1 basket blackberries  (weights are approx.) Everything is Organic!

Potatoes
     When I was growing up, I remember two kinds of potatoes: red potatoes that were good for making potato salad or putting in a stew, and russet potatoes that were dry, tasted like cardboard, and were mostly baked or mashed. Potatoes came in these two varieties, and had one of two textures: red potatoes were called "waxy", and russets were called "flaky". Then along came the Yukon Gold potato, which has a fabulous intermediate texture somewhere between waxy and flaky--not too moist nor too dry (and it has an easy-to-remember name). Unfortunately, many people think that the options for potatoes stop at these three-which leaves out hundreds of fabulous varieties of potatoes. We plant many different varieties, and try some new types every year, looking for those that grow well on our farm and have excellent flavor.
    Since Labor Day weekend is coming up, and potato salad is such a popular picnic dish, we're putting one of my favorite varieties for potato salad in the box today. Nicola potatoes fall near the waxy end of the waxy-to-flaky texture range. They maintain their shape when cut, boiled, and mixed with dressing; and the chunks of potato will be moist, not dry. Nicola potatoes are a good all-around potato-not just for salad. Try them in any recipe that calls for Yukon Gold or Fingerling potatoes.  Some references on the Internet claim that Nicola potatoes are low on the glycemic index, making them the potato of choice for people who are watching their intake of starchy carbohydrates. (I am skeptical of this kind of information from the Internet, but thought it interesting enough to pass it on).
    Storage note: Please store your potatoes IN THE DARK (a brown paper bag in the refrigerator is good). If the skins turn green, trim the green areas off and don't eat that part.

Recipe of the week: Pasta with Broccoli (from Asparagus to Zucchini. Cookbook of the Madison Area CSA Coalition)
Cut florets from 1 head broccoli. Peel and dice stems. Boil for 2-3 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon. Cook 1/2 pound pasta in the same water (or use fresh). Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbs. olive oil and 2 Tbs. butter in skillet. Saute 1 clove garlic and 1/2 pound mushrooms (whole, halved, or sliced) for 3-4 minutes. Stir in broccoli. Drain pasta. Toss pasta & vegetables with 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Serves 2-4.

Annual Members Day on the Farm     
Rain or shine!
Sunday, September 2 from 2-6 pm
Farm Tour at 2:30                  
Potluck at 4:30
     Come to the farm any time between 2pm & 6pm on Sunday, September 2nd. The farm tour starts at 2:30, and a potluck follows around 4:30.
      You are invited to bring a dish to share, a blanket or lawn chair, and comfortable walking shoes for the farm tour. We will provide beverages.   
      Also, if you bring your own plate and cutlery, we will use fewer paper plates. Thank you!
      You are welcome to drop in at any time between 2 & 6 pm to see the farm, or just sit in the shade and enjoy the good company of other Harvest Box members.
    
Directions to the farm: Our address is 1835 NE Steele Ave. Steele Avenue is on Hwy 20, 4 miles north of Corvallis (and 7 miles south of Albany). Turn onto Steele across from the Children's Farm Home, and follow Steele to the end of the road. Once you cross the tracks, you're on our farm.
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 13
In your box today: 1 head lettuce, 1 pint grape tomatoes, 2# Roma or Sweet Girl tomatoes-Oops. Some packing shed confusion this week. Salem/Albany & Corvallis Weds will have Romas, Corvallis Tuesday boxes have Sweet Girls again,6 ears corn, 1 bunch Basil & 1 Garlic, 1# Romano Beans, 1 basket blackberries, 1 basket Strawberries or Figs (weights are approx.) Everything is Organic!

Caprese Salad
    What's popular in the food world changes over time. A few years ago, I started hearing about Caprese Salad. Since our family has dairy sensitivities, I didn't pay much attention because one of the key ingredients of Caprese Salad is mozzarella cheese. However, I kept hearing about it...customers would come to the farmers market asking about the best tomato to use for Caprese Salad.... I saw it appearing on restaurant menus.... Finally last week, I couldn't resist sampling a lovely platter of Caprese Salad at a potluck. And now I understand the excitement. Caprese Salad is a treat for the senses-contrasting colors of red, white, and green; a mix of creamy, cool, soft and slightly crunchy textures; sweet, salty, creamy, and tangy flavors.
     It was time for me to do some research about Caprese Salad. Here is my report: (from Epicurious.com) Insalata caprese (literally, the salad from Capri) is the perfect summertime dish for cooks in a hurry; slicing is the hardest part. The salad was created in the 1950s at the Trattoria da Vincenzo for regulars out for a light lunch. They'd order a just-picked tomato and fresh fior di latte (cow's-milk mozzarella - no buffalo on Capri). The salad has evolved on the island to include a few leaves of rughetta (wild arugula) and a pinch of dried wild oregano, both local products; everywhere else in Italy it takes the form of tomato, mozzarella and basil.
The dressing is always a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil - only. Vinegar would destroy the delicate flavor of the cheese and is never used. Because this salad is so simple, top-rate ingredients are imperative: Hothouse tomatoes and rubbery processed mozzarella are unacceptable.
     In my opinion, you can use any kind of vine-ripened tomato for Caprese Salad. However, the little Sweet Girl tomatoes would be especially nice, as would be the romas (but the romas will need to ripen for a few more days until they are really red and slightly soft).
     One interesting recipe called for blistered grape tomatoes: Toss 1 pint of grape tomatoes in a hot sauté pan with 3 Tbs olive oil (for about 2 minutes) before adding the other ingredients (1 cup cubed fresh mozzarella, salt, pepper, and basil).
     You can use slices of tomatoes and mozzarella, or cubes; and layer or toss the ingredients, as your artistic sense dictates.

Basic Caprese Salad
2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
fine sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Layer tomatoes & mozzarella on a platter. Tear fresh basil leaves and sprinkle liberally over the top.
2. Drizzle with olive oil, and serve immediately. This salad does not store well.

Annual Members Day on the Farm
Sunday, September 2 from 2-6 pm
Farm Tour at 2:30
Potluck at 4:30
Rain or shine!
   Come to the farm any time between 2pm & 6pm on Sunday, September 2nd. The farm tour starts at 2:30, and a potluck follows around 4:30.
   You are welcome to drop in at any time between 2 & 6 pm to see the farm, or just sit in the shade and enjoy the good company of other Harvest Box members.
   You are invited to bring a dish to share, a blanket or lawn chair, and comfortable walking shoes for the farm tour. We will provide beverages (Strawberry lemonade this year).   Also, if you bring your own plate and cutlery, we will use fewer paper plates.

Directions to the farm: Our address is 1835 NE Steele Ave. Steele Avenue is on Hwy 20, 4 miles north of Corvallis (and 7 miles south of Albany). Turn onto Steele across from the Children's Farm Home, and follow Steele to the end of the road. Once you cross the tracks, you're on our farm.
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 12
In your box today: 1 head lettuce, 1 pint grape tomatoes, 2# Roma or Sweet Girl Tomatoes,  6 ears corn, 1 1/2# Romano Beans, 1 Red Onion, 1 basket blackberries, 1 basket Strawberries or Figs (weights are approx.)
For best quality, refrigerate your berries & figs as soon as possible, and eat soon. Everything is Organic!

Recipe ideas for this week's box: Corn, tomato, onion, and black bean salsa....Green Bean & Red Onion with mustard seed vinaigrette (see Week 9 Newsletter).....Strawberry tart....Blackberry sauce on ice cream.....

Figs
     I have been anxiously awaiting this moment...enough figs for everyone in our Harvest Box! (Almost). Several years ago, we planted a young fig orchard (about 50 trees), and they are now mature enough to produce a good supply of figs. However, since we have nearly 400 boxes to pack each week, we would need over 30 flats of figs, and we don't have quite that many. If you have figs in your box, read on. If there are strawberries instead of figs, save this newsletter, and there should be fresh figs in your box next week.
    Although many people just eat fresh figs straight off the tree with no adornments, figs can also be paired with cheese, cooked on the grill or under a broiler, or turned into chutney. I have been saving fig recipes for years, waiting for the day when we would have figs for our Harvest Boxes. Here are some suggestions from Sunset Magazine August 2008:
    1. Halve figs lengthwise, drizzle with honey, and broil until bubbling. Serve hot with a soft cheese-ricotta, marscapone, chevre-and mint leaves.
    2. Wrap each fig in a strip of pancetta. Cook in a frying pan over medium heat, turning, until fat renders and pancetta crisps. (Or thread several onto thin metal skewers and grill).
    3. Cut a slit into each fig and stuff with a skinned almond (or slivered almonds) and a bit of chévre or blue cheese. Larger figs can be halved lengthwise and topped with creamy blue cheese or chévre for an elegant, easy appetizer.
   
    The season for fresh figs is short. If you need more figs in your kitchen before the season ends, visit us at our Farmers Markets in the next few weeks and pick up a few more.
    For additional fig inspiration, google "Perfection is a fresh fig: NPR" to bring up an article by NPR's Julie O'Hara from September 2008. (My teenage son swears that "google" is a verb now. My apologies to any English teachers in the audience.)

Roasting tomatoes
    I don't know why, but I always seem to choose one of the hottest weeks of the year to roast tomatoes. But here I am this week, in the kitchen with the oven on, roasting tomatoes-because they are so amazingly good! My version of roasting tomatoes is actually slow-drying them in a low oven. Cooking in this way concentrates the flavors, and brings out a sweet, caramelized taste that is so good for snacking or tossed into a pasta or pesto dinner.
You can roast any tomato, but romas are especially nice. If you have sweet girl tomatoes in your box this week, you can expect romas next week. To roast tomatoes, cut tomatoes in half and place cut-side up on a baking sheet (I use a jelly-roll pan with slight edges to make sure any juices stay on the pan). Place in a 220-degree oven for 10 - 12 hours (I did mine overnight), until somewhat shriveled, but still pliable. Cool and store in the freezer, or leave them on the counter for snacks during the day!

Annual Members Day on the Farm
Sunday, September 2 from 2-6
Farm Tour at 2:30, Potluck at 4:30
   We hope you can join us this year for our annual Members Day on the Farm to see what's growing, to share a meal with other Harvest Box members, and to spend an afternoon on the farm.
   Tom will lead a guided farm tour starting at 2:30. You are welcome to drop in at any time from 2-6 pm to see the farm, or just sit in the shade and enjoy the good company of other Harvest Box members.
   We will provide beverages (Strawberry lemonade this year). You are invited to bring a dish to share, a blanket or lawn chair, and comfortable walking shoes for the farm tour.
Directions will be included in next week's newsletter.
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 11
In your box today: 1 head lettuce, 1 head radicchio, 1 pint grape tomatoes, 1 # tomatoes, 6 ears corn, 1 bunch radishes, 1# Summer Squash, 1 basket blackberries, 1 basket Strawberries (weights are approx.)  For best quality, refrigerate your berries as soon as possible, and eat them soon. Everything is Organic!

Radicchio
    In Europe, especially Italy, radicchio is much more popular than in the US.  Each region of Italy has their own types that they like.  The radicchio in your box is Treviso, which has a shape like a romaine lettuce.  The somewhat bitter taste that all radicchios share takes some getting used to.  The largest US distributor of radicchio calls it a "grownup" taste in their marketing.   Once I didn't like it, but now I love its crisp texture and refreshing taste.  It is a taste well worth acquiring because in addition to being very healthy, it is probably the most beautiful vegetable. Whole inner leaves look fantastic on a relish tray or under a scoop of egg salad or tuna salad.  Some of our favorite chefs braise it or grill it (in a balsamic reduction), but we mostly use it raw.  Our favorite way to enjoy it is individual leaves with a dab of hummus on them eaten with the fingers.
    
Sweet Corn
     Unlike radicchio, sweet corn is as American as apple pie.  Corn, like tomatoes, peppers, beans, and squash were all developed in the Americas by plant breeders before Columbus arrived here.  Sweet corn was developed by native Americans in the Eastern US.  Our first planting of corn is a variety that matures very early without sacrificing taste.  The ears are smaller than the later varieties you will see in future boxes.  We most often eat corn simply steamed or grilled and eaten off the cob. To steam: husk the corn and steam over boiling water for 5 minutes. To grill, leave the husks on, and grill over high heat for 20 minutes, turning halfway through.  When Tom was growing up his family would cut the kernels off any leftover corn and add them to pancake batter, just before cooking.

Grateful for your choices
     I was in Costco the other day buying the paper bags that we put your tomatoes in.  I was struck like I always am in there by how much of the food comes from other countries.  Although the US exports a lot of produce, we actually are importing more than we export.  Since many countries that ship produce to the US have people who will work 12 hours for less than the minimum hourly wage in Oregon, it helps explain why local produce is not always the cheapest option.  That makes us especially thankful that you are choosing to purchase from a local farm.
    We recently read a local news story from Lane County, reporting on some interesting calculations made by the Willamette Food & Farm Coalition (an organization in Lane County that promotes local food). Their approach calculated that if every person in Oregon spends $5 on local food each week, it would directly add $1 billion per year to Oregon's economy. This $5 is not in addition to what is already spent, but a redirection of $5-worth of food from out-of-state or imported food to locally-produced food.  In addition, there are substantial indirect effects on the economy, as it is estimated that somewhere between .67 and .95 percent of another job is created when you create a farm job. Thank you for choosing local food!
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 10
In your box today: ½# Salad Mix , 1 head broccoli, 1 red onion, 1 bunch Basil, 1 head Garlic, 3/4# Summer Squash, 1 basket Grape Tomatoes, 1# Slicing tomatoes, 1 basket strawberries (weights are approx.) For best quality, refrigerate your berries as soon as possible, and eat them soon. Everything is Organic!

Harvest time
     While driving from Corvallis to Portland last week, I noticed many signs that mid-summer's Harvest season has arrived in the Willamette Valley. I pass green fields of corn, beans, and blueberries-all being irrigated by sprinklers (note to self: be grateful for abundant, clean water). Beyond the irrigated agricultural fields, the dry, brown hillsides show how our Valley would look without irrigation. Grass seed fields have been harvested, and a fine layer of dust with bits of chaff settles over everything. Dump trucks filled with loads of green beans drive down the freeway headed for the cannery. When Tom was young, there were many more canneries around Corvallis. In fact, Tom worked for a summer during High School in a beet cannery in the location that is now called the Cannery Mall in Corvallis (where the Borders Book Store used to be). Now, only a few canneries are still in business around Salem.

Broccoli
    Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, and brussels sprouts are all the same species, Brassica oleracea.  These vegetables grow well and achieve their best quality in cool to mild weather with plenty of moisture.  The heat and drought that is gripping so much of our country makes it tough for farmers and gardeners to grow these crops in those places.  On warm days we like broccoli either raw or lightly steamed dipped in Hummus.  If it is cool enough to want the oven on, sometimes we drizzle broccoli with olive oil and a little salt, and bake at 350 degrees until the buds are a little crispy, and the stems tender.   Our kids love broccoli and many other vegetables cooked this way.   Broccoli is high in antioxidants and anti cancer phytonutrients.  The American Society recommends that people consume more broccoli and related vegetables because epidemiological studies suggest that such a diet can reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.

Tomatoes
    The mixed grape tomatoes in our Harvest Boxes today as well as the slicing tomatoes are grown in our passive solar greenhouses (also known as cold frames, or tunnels.)  These large frames covered with clear plastic, have no heat source other than the sun that warms them during the day.  At night heat radiates from the soil to keep the plants a little warmer than they would be if outside.   The cover also keeps rain off the plants and fruit which helps avoid blight, and allows more concentrated flavor.  When we grew tomatoes outdoors, they rarely ripened much before mid August to September, and if Oregon's famous rains started on Labor Day much fruit would be lost to cracking or blight.  So these tunnels allow us to grow nice tomatoes in a climate that is really more suited to growing broccoli.

Second Payment is due August 1st
     If you paid the first half of your membership fee before the first box, your second payment ($273) is due August 1st.  Thank you to those who have remembered. We will send reminder notices next week to members who still owe for the remainder of the Harvest Box season.
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 9
In your box today: 1 Green leaf lettuce, 2 Mediterranean Cucumbers, 3/4# Romano Green Beans, 1# Summer Squash, 1 Sweet Onion, 1# Sweet Girl Tomatoes, 1 basket Grape Tomatoes, 1 basket Raspberries, 1 basket Strawberries (weights are approx.) For best quality, refrigerate your berries as soon as possible, and eat them soon. Everything is Organic!

 Green Romano Beans
     Our Romano beans are a little later than usual this year, but finally we are harvesting them! We look forward to these beans every year, partly because they are so hard to find in the grocery stores, and partly because they are our favorite green beans. 
    You can cook Romano beans any way you would cook a regular green bean. However, watch that you don't overcook them, as they are quite tender. They steam in just 4-5 minutes. If overcooked, they will become mushy. Romano beans are also nice stir-fried.  Here is a recipe:
Romano Beans and Sweet Onion with Mustard Seed Vinaigrette  (slightly modified from Gourmet, August 2001)
4 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. mustard seeds
1/2 large sweet red or white onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup red-wine vinegar
3/4# - 1#  green Romano beans

1. Heat 1 Tbs. olive oil in a heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Cook 2 Tbs. mustard seeds, stirring, until they pop and are 1 shade darker, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
2. Add 3 Tbs. olive oil to hot skillet, then sauté 1/2  sweet onion, until golden brown (8-10 minutes). Remove from heat, and combine onions with mustard seeds in large bowl. Add 1/3 cup red-wine vinegar to bowl with onions and mustard seeds.
3. Have ready a large bowl of ice and cold water. Cut Romano beans into 2-inch sections. Cook in a pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender (about 5 minutes). Drain and plunge into ice water, then drain well.
4. Toss beans with onion & mustard seed vinaigrette. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill 12-24 hours. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Serves 8.

Sweet Girl Tomatoes
    This week's tomato is a variety called Sweet Girl. They are more firm than last week's Oregon Spring tomatoes, and make a great salad tomato.

Caramelized Sweet Onions
    Here's our family's favorite way to use giant sweet onions: peel one (or several) sweet onions, and cut into large rings or chunks. Place in a cast iron pan, and coat with olive oil. Roast in the oven until very soft, and slightly browned. We have used oven temperatures varying from 350 - 400 degrees with equal success. The hotter the oven, the more closely you need to watch them to prevent burning. Roasting can take about an hour (more or less depending on how large the pieces are). Remove from the oven when they are very soft. Use as a side dish, or layer onto a sandwich.
    If you have talent with a barbecue, or if you're firing up your grill to cook the summer squash, grilled onions are fantastic.
    You can use the green top of your onion just like a scallion. Thinly sliced, onion tops are nice for a garnish on a salad or soup.

Office is short-starffed next week
     I will be making my annual summer trip to visit my parents in Ohio next week, so Tom will be managing everything in the office. Please be patient if emails are not returned immediately, and if you will be requesting vacation credit for next week's box, we need to receive your request by this Friday at the latest. 

Second Payment due August 1st
     If you paid the first half of your membership fee before the first box, your second payment ($273) is due August 1st. 
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 8
In your box today: 1 Red Butter lettuce, 1/2# Salad Mix, 1 Sweet Slice Cucumber, 2# Red Potatoes,
1 bunch Basil, 1 head Garlic, 1# Tomatoes, 1 basket Raspberries, 1 basket Strawberries (weights are approx.)
For best quality, refrigerate your berries as soon as possible, and eat them soon.
Everything is Organic!

 On the farm this week
     On Monday evening, just after sunset, I was outside hanging one more load of laundry (tablecloths from the weekend Farmers Markets) on the line, and enjoying a peaceful moment on the farm (so rare this time of year!). I heard strains of lively music waft over from the packing shed, and occasional voices or the sound of plastic tubs hitting the side of the metal washing sink as the crew works into the darkness washing all the tubs we will fill tomorrow for our Harvest Boxes. Both the farm crew and the crops are appreciating slightly cooler weather this week. When it's hot, we struggle to keep all our crops watered, especially young plants that don't have well-established roots yet. Our rows of young lettuce and broccoli get water every day. They need to be well cared for in the heat of the summer, so they will produce lush, abundant heads for our Harvest Boxes next month.

Oregon Spring Tomatoes
     The tomatoes in your box this week are a variety developed at OSU in Corvallis by Dr. Jim Baggett. They are one of the earliest tomatoes to ripen in our climate-plus, we help them along by growing them in a hoop house, which allows us to plant them earlier than we could without the frost protection of a hoop house. I like to describe Oregon Spring tomatoes as delicious, but not very durable. This tomato is far too delicate to be found in the grocery store, where durability is desirable. When fully ripe, they are quite soft, so you will need a sharp knife to cut them. They have a nice flavor... not too sweet, somewhat tangy. They are excellent for salads, salsa, gazpacho, and fresh tomato sauce. If your tomatoes seem a bit too soft to slice for salads, I recommend making a fresh tomato sauce: chop tomatoes coarsely, and place in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once the tomatoes start to simmer, crush with a potato masher, and add any of the following to taste: crushed garlic, grated carrots (for sweetness), minced onion, fresh or dried herbs (particularly oregano, basil, or thyme), salt, pepper, or a splash of wine or balsamic vinegar. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly as the moisture boils off. If you want a smoother texture, the sauce can be puréed in a food processor. Serve over pasta.
Please don't refrigerate tomatoes-it ruins the flavor.

Pesto Potatoes
     This week's red potatoes would be great boiled (or steamed), and topped with pesto. My basic pesto recipe can be found in this year's Week 4 Newsletter.

Red butter lettuce
     Butter lettuce is also known as bib or sometimes limestone lettuce.  It forms a soft "buttery" heart that is perfect for summer salads with your favorite creamy dressing. 
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 7
In your box today: 1 lettuce, 1/2# spinach OR 1/2# Salad Mix, 2 Cucumbers, 1# Zucchini, 2# Sierra Gold Potatoes,
1 basket cherry tomatoes, 1 basket Raspberries, 1 basket Strawberries (weights are approx.)
For best quality, refrigerate your berries as soon as possible, and eat them soon.
Everything is Organic!

Snapshots around the farm
With the arrival of July, suddenly it feels like summer has arrived:
* Our irrigation sprinklers are running day and night to keep up with the water needs of all our crops.
* Our garlic is mature and ready to dig. We wait until the tops have dried and turned from green to brown before we harvest and cure the bulk of the garlic crop. Soon you will see dried garlic in your box, instead of the fresh garlic we had last month. 
* The tassels have emerged across our cornfield. It will be a few weeks before the ears of corn are ready to pick, but seeing the tassels emerge signals the transition to full summer.
* The zucchini plants have carpeted the ground. It is difficult to walk through the field without breaking off leaves.
* And our resident local wildlife are raising their young...... One of the reasons we've scheduled our farm party so late this year is because a skunk family has decided that our front yard is a good place to raise a family. Their den is right next to our front door, and we get to see 4 delightful young skunks (and their mother) foraging for grubs and playing outside our office window nearly every day. We're hoping that the family will move on to a more appropriate home once the young are weaned, but our wildlife biologist friend suggests that they may hang around their den for up to 4 months. So far, we've been fortunate not to scare them as we go in & out of our front door many times a day, but we're constantly cautious and respectful of their potential to infuse the atmosphere with their famous scent.

Quinoa Tabbouleh
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large or 2 small cucumbers, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2/3 cup parsley
1/2 cup fresh mint
2 Tbs. finely chopped sweet onion
    Bring quinoa, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1 1/4 cup water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until quinoa is tender-about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Meanwhile, in the serving bowl, whisk lemon juice and garlic. Whisk in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add cucumber, tomatoes, and herbs. Toss and coat well. Add quinoa. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate.

Another recipe idea:
     If you can restrain yourself from eating all your berries on the way home, I can report that one small basket of raspberries is enough fruit for a satisfying coffee cake! (Just add berries to a basic coffee cake recipe).
 
Storage tip of the week: For best flavor, tomatoes should never be put in the refrigerator.
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 6
In your box today: 1 lettuce, 1/2# spinach OR 1/2# Salad Mix, 2 Cucumbers, 1# Zucchini,1 bunch Radishes,1 basket cherry tomatoes, 1 basket Red Raspberries, 1 basket Gold Raspberries, 1 basket Strawberries (weights are approx.) All our produce is Organic!

Salad Mix, Spinach, and Lettuce
    This week, members in Albany and Salem should get a bag of salad mix, while Corvallis members will get a bag of spinach. Next week, we expect to switch this plan, so everyone should get salad mix either this week or next.  Please plan to use your salad mix early in the week-it is one of the most perishable things we grow. Here are some storage tips to get the longest useful life out of your lettuce, spinach, and salad mix.  First, keep all salad greens cold. Consider bringing an ice chest to your pick-up site and transferring berries and salad ingredients before driving home. As soon as possible, rinse your greens in cold water. Submerging the leaves in a large bowl of water is the best way to rinse them thoroughly. Separate lettuce leaves and submerge them in water to remove dirt or bugs that may be deep inside the head.
    Then drain as much water off the leaves a possible. A salad spinner works well, or roll the salad leaves gently in a kitchen towel. Any water left on the leaves will hasten decay. Some experts then suggest storing your rinsed & drained greens in a sealed plastic container with a paper towel in the bottom to make sure the bottom leaves are not sitting in water. Finally, store your salad mix in a cold refrigerator, and eat salads often.

Berry Care
     Raspberries and strawberries (especially Organic berries) are very perishable. Most non-organic berries are sprayed with fungicides as they are ripening to keep them from getting moldy. Our Organic berries have not been sprayed with anything, so they should be put in the refrigerator (or eaten) AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

New ideas for Radishes
     Cooked radishes are a whole different experience from raw radishes. The hot flavor diminishes with cooking, and the underlying sweetness is enhanced. Try whole radish roots steamed for (approx) 8 minutes, then rolled in butter. Or add whole (if small) or sliced radishes to a stir-fry. The longer they cook, the softer they will get, so add at the last few minutes if you want them a little crunchy. Here's an idea from the cookbook From Asparagus to Zucchini that I just tried for lunch: sauté quartered radishes with orange zest and minced gingerroot, except I didn't have orange zest, so I added a small spoonful of frozen orange juice concentrate.
    Radish roots are also nice sliced in a sandwich. They are particularly nice on sourdough French bread with lettuce and cheese.
     As a side note, radish greens are edible. Personally, I prefer them cooked rather than raw. Try them in a stir-fry next time you feel the need for some greens in your diet.
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 5
In your box today: 1 lettuce, 1/2# spinach, 2 Cucumbers, 1 Sweet Onion, 1# Zucchini, 2#  New Red Potatoes,
1 basket cherry tomatoes, 1 basket Raspberries, 1 basket Strawberries (weights are approx.) All our produce is Organic!

Cucumbers, sweet onions, tomatoes.....
If only we grew olives on our farm, then this week's box would have all the ingredients for a lovely Greek salad....We like to slice cucumbers, sweet onions, & cherry tomatoes, add olives and crumbled feta cheese, then dress with olive oil and wine vinegar for a light summer salad. 

Berry Care
Raspberries and strawberries (especially Organic berries) are very perishable. Most non-organic berries are sprayed with fungicides as they are ripening to keep them from getting moldy. Our Organic berries have not been sprayed with anything, so they should be put in the refrigerator (or eaten) AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Zucchini
Here is a new idea for zucchini that a friend sent to me by email. Unfortunately, the original source was not included.
Zucchini Chips
* Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick foil, and spray with canola oil.
* Slice 1-2 zucchini into thin medallions, about the thickness of a quarter. Lay out slices on prepared baking sheet, and spray tops lightly with additional cooking spray. Sprinkle with seasonings of your choice. Use less than what seems appropriate. These shrink considerably in the oven, and if you use too much it gets very concentrated.
* Place in preheated oven and bake 45 minutes. Rotate baking sheet, and bake an additional 30 - 50 minutes, until chips are crisped. (I ended up removing some after 35 minutes, and leaving others in for a full 50 minutes-due to variation in thickness of my slices).
* These are best eaten within a few hours after baking, as they start to get chewy if left out.

Another great idea for this week's box: Sautéed Zucchini, Basil, Cherry Tomatoes, and Olives. See last year's newsletters, Week 9. Note: this recipe is great even if you don't have olives.

Notes from the office:

July 4th is a holiday for many people. However all our Farmers Markets and Harvest Box deliveries will be on their regular schedules next week, EXCEPT the Corvallis Wednesday Market will move to the South Riverfront next week (due to the Riverfront Blues Festival). If you pick-up at the Corvallis Wednesday Market (or if you forget your box next Tuesday, and need to pick up on Wednesday), go to the parking lot next to the Skateboard Park at 2nd & B Streets.

Farm Party
Our annual Member's day on the farm will be Sunday, September 2nd. That is the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. We'll provide more details about the schedule for the afternoon as the date approaches, but wanted to get it on your calendars as soon as possible.

Vacation Credits
Here's how our vacation credit requests are processed in the office, and how you receive your vouchers: I have an office assistant who works in the office on Friday afternoons. Once a week, she takes all the vacation requests that have come in during the prior week and records your vacation date(s) in our membership database. Then she will write your name and vacation date on a credit voucher and place the voucher in an envelope that goes to the Farmers Market. Then, you receive an email that your credit voucher is ready to pick up at the Farmers Market. After receiving this confirmation email, the next time you are at the Farmers Market, you ask any of our staff for your coupon, and use it to purchase any fruits or vegetables at our booth. We can track the total of your purchases on the voucher, so you don't have to use it up all at one time. The way we have our system set up now (and since I have office help only 4 hours a week), there is up to a week's delay between your request and when the voucher is available to pick up at the market.

Box Returns
Please bring back your empty box every week, or bring a cooler and grocery bag to your pick-up site and leave the box each week. Our packing crew has been coming up short every week, and our supply of tubs on the farm is getting depleted. Boxes are a significant cost to us. The more times we can reuse a box, the longer we can operate our Harvest Box without raising our price.  Thank you!
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 4
Today's Organic Produce: 1 lettuce, 1/2# spinach, 2 larger or 3 smaller Cucumbers, 1 bunch Basil, 1 garlic,2#  New Nicola Potatoes, 1 basket cherry tomatoes, 1 basket Early Burlat Cherries (weights are approx.)

Basil
Pesto is my go-to meal when I really don't have time to cook, and I want a filling, kid-friendly meal in 15 minutes. Basil is a heat-loving plant, so fresh, local basil is only available in the summertime.
Basic Pesto
Blend in a food processor until finely chopped:
    1 or 2 cloves garlic (mince them first before adding to food processor for best results)
    1 bunch (about 2 cups loosely packed) basil leaves AND tender stems (see note 2).
Chop coarsely, then add to blender or food processor:
    1/2 - 1 tsp. salt
After the garlic, basil, and salt are finely chopped and blended, add:
    1/2 - 2/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts, or other nuts (see note 4), and continue blending until chopped
Then, while the blender or food processor is running, slowly add:
    1/2 - 2/3 cup olive oil, until you hear a change in the tone of the motor, and the pesto turns creamy.
Remove from the food processor and stir in 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Mix gently into 1 pound of hot, cooked pasta.
Notes about pesto:
1. The amount of garlic is really up to you. Some recipes call for up to a head of garlic per bunch of basil, but I find that amount truly overpowering. Maybe our garlic is more pungent than store-bought garlic.
2. It works fine to use the tender stems as well as leaves. Use any stems that aren't tough and woody.
3. For dairy-free pesto, increase the salt to taste and use a few more nuts.
4. Traditional recipes call for pine nuts, but you can substitute walnuts, sunflower seeds, cashews, hemp seeds, or whatever nuts you have on hand. Toast the nuts first for extra-nice flavor.
5. If you're minimizing fats in your diet, you can reduce the oil (making the pesto very thick), and mix with equal parts hot pasta water before stirring into your hot pasta.
6. Pesto can be frozen to make an even easier quick dinner the rest of the year (because there's no food processor to clean out if it's ready-made in the freezer). Freeze in old ice cube trays (inside an air-tight zip-top bag) for single-serving size portions.

Something new this week: photos in the newsletter! Here is a picture of our cherry orchard. Tom planted these trees 22 years ago, the year he bought our farm. Now we have a mature orchard of about 100 cherry trees.

Update on recycling plastic containers: I have received an update from Allied Waste in Corvallis & Albany. The plastic clams that we pack your berries, cherries, and cherry tomatoes in should NOT be put into your mixed recycling bin at curbside. They CAN be recycled at the First Alternative recycling depot on South Third Street in Corvallis. Marion County contracts with a different recycling company, and last time I checked, Salem members CAN recycle the plastic berry clams with your curbside mixed recycling.

Please return your empty tub EVERY WEEK. 
Our packing crew reports that we are missing 25 - 30 tubs every week. If tubs are accumulating at your house, please make every effort to bring them back next week. It would be a great help if you could bring back your tub each week, otherwise we might need to start packing in something less expensive (and less convenient).

If you have a hard time remembering to bring back your tub, you might consider transferring your produce the pick-up site to a couple of re-usable grocery bags and a cooler each week. Thank you.
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 3
Today’s Organic Produce: 2 lettuce, 1 Cucumber, 1 Sweet Onion, 1# Zucchini, 1 bunch Radishes,  1 bunch Garlic tops, 2#  Purple Viking Potatoes, 1 basket Cherries (weights are approx.)

Every year is different
    I’m not sure if this has officially been a cool spring, but I know many crops that usually appear in our Harvest Boxes by mid-June are not yet ready. Our tomatoes are late this year. We attribute that to the aftermath of the unseasonable snowstorm last March. The weight of snow we received in the middle of March crushed about a dozen of our hoop houses. The time and labor that we spent repairing hoop houses delayed our planting schedule, so our tomatoes are later than usual. We are starting to see a few ripe cherry tomatoes, and hope to have enough for all our members very soon.
    Raspberries also are just barely starting to ripen. Our sons have been scouting the raspberry patch diligently, and though the hoop houses have been humming with bees and other pollinators for the past month, there are only a very few raspberries ready to pick. Again, we hope soon to have raspberries for everyone.
    Fortunately, the ripening of cherries is less affected by the spring weather. Our cherry crop has a lot more to do with sunshine when the cherry trees are in bloom. We rent a couple of beehives from a local beekeeper to assist in our cherry pollination, and the bees did a really good job this year. We have the largest crop of cherries we have seen in many years. However, rain is not kind to ripe cherries. The rainy weather this past week has caused a lot of cherries to crack and rot. Picking is slow, as our pickers need to choose only the best cherries, leaving any cracked ones out of the harvest bucket.

This week’s produce
    Purple Viking potatoes are recommended for mashing or baking. Inside the purple skin, the flesh is pure white, moist, and firm.  Purple Vikings have a slightly sweet flavor, and they are my absolute favorite for creamy mashed potatoes.
    Sweet Onion. For culinary purposes, onions are classified as either “sweet onions” or “cooking onions”. Although most onions are sweet (if you measure sugar content), cooking onions have sulfur compounds that make them taste hot (and make your eyes water). These sulfur compounds mask the sweetness unless you cook the onions. Sweet onions can be cooked, and cooking onions can be eaten raw—but generally, sweet onions are used when you want to eat raw onion, and cooking onions are more commonly cooked. All onions will become sweeter (and less hot) if you cook them. We have been enjoying these sweet onions in pasta salad, sliced in sushi (with cucumber, avocado and rice), and daily in the sauté pan.
    Cooking onions keep better than sweet onions, so they are also referred to as “keeper onions” or “storage onions”. Unless you rely on onions imported from the Southern Hemisphere, the season for sweet onions is spring through late summer, and cooking onions (also called storage onions or keeper onions) are available in fall and winter.
    Garlic tops: You can cook garlic tops any way you might cook asparagus. We like them stir-fried. Garlic tops are technically called “scapes”. If left on the plant, they will produce “bulblets” that can be planted to grow more garlic. If you take a sharp knife and look closely, you may be able to see tiny bulblets inside the swollen part near the tip of your scapes.

What about next week? Tom reports that we have a young planting of spinach that looks like it will be ready for next week. And the fruit forecast? We would like to have cherries for the box again next week, but won’t know until next Monday whether or not this week’s rain will leave us enough sound fruits. If there aren’t cherries, strawberries will be our back-up plan. We grow our strawberries under hoop houses, so they are protected from the challenges brought by early summer rains.
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012:  Week 2
Today's Organic Produce: 1 lettuce, 1 bunch Carrots, 1 bunch Basil, 1 Red Onion, 1.5# Fava Beans, 1 head Fresh Garlic, 1/2# Zucchini (Salem/Albany) OR 1 bunch Radishes (Corvallis boxes), 2# Yukon Gold new Potatoes, 1 basket Strawberries (weights are approx.)
   
Basil
     Basil is a heat-loving plant, happiest during the warm sunny days of summer. We have tricked our basil into thinking it is summer by planting it in a hoop house, which creates a much warmer environment than outside in the wind and rain. Even on cold, windy days like today, a few minutes of sunshine will warm up the air inside the hoop house to a balmy, shorts-and-tank top temperature as I sit here in the office wearing a jacket. However, even with a hoop house, basil is not very robust this early in the year. Best to use your basil early in the week, as it is tender and may not keep until the weekend.
   Do not store basil in the refrigerator. Most refrigerators are too cold for basil, and the leaves will turn black. Basil keeps best if you treat it like cut flowers. Trim the base of the stems, and put in a jar of water on your counter. Then place a plastic bag loosely over the top of the basil to keep high humidity around the leaves-but don't seal the bag shut, or mold could develop. Change the water every day.
    The bottom line: it is best to make pesto today or tomorrow. Pesto freezes well if you make more than you can use in one meal.

Fava Beans
Fava beans are a staple of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. In Britain, they are called Broad Beans. Fava bean can be used at every stage from very young pods (where they are cooked like green beans), through fresh shell stage, and as dried beans as well.  The beans in your box today are best eaten as a fresh shelled bean (recipes below). The pods are also edible if you don't want to waste anything.  If you want to try using the pods, pull off the string along each side, then slice them into a sauté or toss in a soup or stew.
Preparing fresh Fava Beans:  First, you need to get the beans out of the pods. I like to snap the pod at each bean and pop the bean out.
Next, blanch the beans. Lower into boiling water for 3 minutes, then plunge into ice water to chill quickly.
Then, decide whether or not you will peel the beans for the final recipe.
To peel or not to peel? It's really a matter of personal preference. Many recipes for fava beans instruct you to pop the inner bean out of its skin after blanching. However, if you prefer a quicker preparation, and don't mind a little extra texture in your diet, there is really no need to take the outer skin off the bean. If you do peel them, you get a milder flavor and a more tender bean, if you leave the peels on you get a more chewy texture, but save some prep time and there's less for the compost bucket. 
Once your fava beans are blanched, try one of the following recipes:
Edamame style
    Serve blanched fava beans in a small dish, with a touch of salt. Take one bean at a time, and pop it out of the skin directly into your mouth. You can choose whether or not to eat the skins. Try it both ways.

Fava Beans with Yogurt and Lemon (inspired by Deborah Madison, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone)
1. Heat 2 Tbs olive oil over moderate heat in a frypan until the oil shimmers.
2. Add blanched, peeled fava beans and 1 clove garlic, sliced. Sauté for 2 minutes.
3. Then add 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced. Sauté for 3 more minutes.
4. Prepare dressing: whisk together 1 Tbs olive oil, zest and juice from 1/2 lemon, and a pinch of salt.
5. Toss sautéed favas with lemon dressing and cool for 5 minutes.
6. Gently fold in 1/4 cup yogurt and a generous handful of fresh dill or basil. Eat immediately, or serve chilled. It's great both ways!
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Denison Farms Harvest Box 2012: Week 1

In this box: 1 green leaf lettuce (from Groundwork Organics), 1 bunch Carrots, 1 sweet Onion, 3/4# Sugar Snap peas, 1 head Fresh Garlic, 1 bunch Garlic tops, 2# French Fingerling  Potatoes, 1/2# Zucchini, 1 basket Strawberries (weights are approx.) All our produce is certified orgnanic.

Welcome to all our returning and new members. It's exciting to be starting the harvest box season again. Thanks for choosing to be part of our farm! We hope you enjoy your membership with us.
       
New French Fingerling Potatoes
    Today's French Fingerlings are one of my favorite potatoes. These pink-skinned, yellow-fleshed potatoes sometimes have pink streaks in the flesh as well. They have excellent flavor simply steamed or boiled and served warm with butter. Since new potatoes have very thin skins, you should put a little salt in the water before boiling or steaming, or the flavor will leak out of the potatoes and end up in the water. For boiled potatoes, cut potatoes into bite-sized chunks, cover with water, add 1/2 tsp salt, then simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and add butter.
    French Fingerling potatoes are wonderful for any kind of potato salad. Here's my favorite recipe for warm potato salad. It reminds me of my grandmother's German potato salad (though these days I leave out the bacon that was in her original recipe).
Simple Potato salad
1. Finely chop 1/2 a mild sweet onion, place in bowl.
2. Cover with 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup rice vinegar, and a dash of black pepper.
3. Cut 2 lbs. new potatoes into bite-sized chunks.
4. Cover potatoes with water, add 1/2 tsp. salt. Boil for 10 minutes or until soft.
5. Drain potatoes and add to marinating onions. Stir gently. Cool 10 minutes. Serve warm or cool. Adjust salt & pepper to taste. Garnish with whatever fresh herbs you have on hand.

Fresh Garlic: This garlic has just been dug, so it is still quite juicy. You can leave it on the counter, or store it in the refrigerator, but don't enclose it in plastic, or it will get moldy. Fresh garlic may be used exactly as you would use regular garlic-with the added advantage that you don't need to peel the individual cloves if the skins are still moist. We have been slicing our fresh garlic heads just like an onion, peeling off the outer skin layers as they become dry, and chopping the moist skins around each clove right into the sauté pan with the juicy garlic cloves.

Garlic tops: One of the reasons some people join our Harvest Box is to try new fruits and vegetables that might not be found on a standard grocery store produce rack. We try to keep our box mostly filled with familiar and popular items, but each week there may be something special that you just don't see in a grocery store. Garlic tops might qualify for this week's "most unfamiliar vegetable." But, have no fear, they are delicious, and easy to prepare. Garlic tops can be cooked any way you might cook asparagus. The texture will be similar to asparagus, but the flavor tastes somewhat like a leek. We like to stir-fry them in olive oil until they are soft, or slightly browned. They are also nice steamed and tossed into your potato salad.

Groundwork Organics: The lettuce in your box this week was grown by our friends Gabe and Sophie at Groundwork Organic Farm (in Junction City). Gabe worked on our farm for several years before he and Sophie purchased their own land a few miles north of Eugene, just off River Road. After Gabe started his own farm, we have continued to cooperate with each other-purchasing supplies together often gets us a better deal, and we frequently get things from each other for our CSA boxes. Our lettuce is a little small this week, so we're putting Groundwork's lettuce in your box this week.

We don't yet have a date for this year's Farm Party. We're thinking of trying to schedule it in late August, or maybe even September. We'll let you know as soon as we pick a date for the event.

Recycling:
We totally support efforts to reduce the use of plastic. However, we are also very concerned that your produce get to your kitchen in good condition. We use plastic clam containers for fruit, because it keeps berries from spilling and getting crushed by more robust vegetables in your box-like potatoes. Unfortunately, we have no way to sanitize the clamshells, so we cannot reuse these containers. Last time I checked, the plastic clamshells that we pack your berries in were recyclable at curbside pick-up in Marion, Linn, and Benton Counties.
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