WEEK 6, AUGUST 14/15, 2009

In 1974, when we started selling pro-duce out of the big family garden, we were probably the smallest produce farm in the area! Our neighbors had been selling U-Pick produce for years, and whenever they were out of some-thing they would send them down to us. As our U-Pick customer base grew over the following years our garden began to occupy more and more of our farm

After many years a funny thing happened. We began to see our customers come out to pick—now they had gray hair, and maybe a cane! Their children were growing up into young adults with families of their own.

Many people told us that they just didn’t have the energy to pick, prepare and can anymore. Young people told us they weren’t going to pick anything, they just planned to purchase their produce from the grocery store.

Over time we realized we needed to sit down and write down on paper just who we are and what identifies our farm.

The entire family submitted suggestions for a farm motto. We wanted something short and concise. The end result is this: “Locally Grown, Farm-Fresh, Vine-Ripe Produce...Your Natural Choice!”

Locally Grown: We believe that it is important to consume as much of your food as possible from the local area. It is estimated that most food grown in the US travels more than 1500 miles be-fore landing on the American dinner table. How could it be as tasty & nutritious if it comes from that far away? When imported food is factored in there is no telling how many miles our food travels. Of course our members know where LEHNE FARM CSA produce comes from, and now grocery stores are required to label it so you can know where it’s grown.

Farm-Fresh: One of the biggest problems with food coming from such long distances is that it can’t possibly be fresh. Farm-Fresh produce just tastes better, and we are convinced it is also more nutritious. Customers tell us over and over that they’ve never eaten something so good...it just tastes better than what they get in the grocery store.

Vine-Ripe: Most fruits and vegetables in grocery stores are green-harvested before being shipped over great distances. The produce eventually ripens, but it falls short of many of the nutritional benefits, great taste and freshness of our Vine-Ripe pro-duce. Lehne Farm fruits and vegetables are harvested at the peak of seasonal taste and freshness.

Lehne Farm fruits and vegetables provide nutritional benefits, great taste and freshness. Thus, our motto: “Locally Grown, Farm-Fresh, Vine -Ripe Produce...Your Natural Choice !”

Enjoy this week’s harvest!

Your Farmers, Norm & Cinda Glen & Wendy

We are members of Think Local Ump -qua, a coalition of farmers, business owners, & community supporters who encourage our community members to “Think Local First” when selecting goods & services. Umpqua Community Development has been the guiding force for this new organization. Please pick up a free Think Local Umpqua 2009 Guide to Local Food & Independent Businesses when you are here.

In this week's box:
  • Lettuce: This lettuce is so beautiful at this time & we hope you’re enjoying it as much as we are.
  •  Harko Nectarines: These are our fresh eating nectarines. They are small, but loaded with flavor.
  •  Tomatoes: We’ve also included a box of assorted cherry tomatoes.
  •  “Red Chidori” Kale: Please refer to Kale recipes from CSA Week 3 newsletter for recipe ideas.
  •  Cauliflower
  •  Beets

Beets have been cultivated since prehis-toric times in the Mediterranean region, & were originally grown only for their leaves. Early Romans noticed the earthy, sweet flavor of the root, & beets were soon valued for their brilliant green leaves as well as their rich, ruby-colored roots. Today, beets & beet dishes are still widely popular. Americans refer to this root vegetable simply as "beets", but the rest of the world calls it beetroot. Beets come in several varieties, from the characteristic deep crimson to gold, white, and one that is red & white inside.

 Beets are an excellent source of
Folic acid & Manganese & a good source of Potassium & Vitamin C.
 Beets are roots, high carbohydrate
foods.
 Beets pair well with flavorful goat,
feta & blue cheeses, nuts & citrus fruits.
 Remember, however, hands aren’t the only thing beets stain red. Beets can temporarily turn some people’s urine a pink or reddish color, a condition called beeturia.

Storing: Beets can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for about a week. Beets are best when cooked whole, to retain the flavor, color, and nutrients. To prepare beets, cut off the green tops, leaving an inch of the stem to prevent bleeding and flavor loss. They can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for about a week.

 

AUGUST EVENTS
 OSU Master Food Preservers will be at the farm on Friday, August 14 & 28, from 10:00 a.m.—2:00 p.m. They will answer your canning questions & have printed materials avail-able. Also you can bring your pressure canner gauge for free testing. This is very important so you will know that your canning pressure is accurate.

 “Keepin’ the Kitchen Kool!”, Saturday, August 22, 2009, from 11:00 a.m.—1:00 p.m. Douglas County resident, Kris Wetherbee, will return to the farm with ‘Kool’ new recipes! After the July heat wave this is just what we need. Bring a lawn chair & enjoy the event. Kris will demonstrate new ideas for turning ordinary vegetables into something extraordinary! Each participant will receive recipes of featured demos. This event is free & open to the public.

 

Did You Know?
Beets are available throughout the garden season. Beets have the highest sugar content of any vegetable -- more than sweet potatoes, corn (Well, maybe not Lehne Corn!), or carrots. At 8 percent sugar by weight, they're even sweeter than some fruits, including strawberries and water-melon. Sweetest of all? A half cup of cooked beets has only 37 calories. Suggestion: Wrap beets in foil and roast at 400 degrees until a fork pierces easily, about 40 minutes; slip skins off with a knife tip. Another member of the beet family is Swiss chard To help them retain their flavor, color, and nutrients, it’s best to cook beets whole.

Garlicky Beet Delight

Serves 4

Ingredients
6 medium beets

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic

crushed Salt to taste

Preparation
Wash the beets and boil until tender, about 45 minutes or until you can pierce them with a knife. Remove the skins by running cold water over the boiled beets, and then slipping of their skins. Slice the beets and toss with the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and salt.


Simple Beet Salad With Onions
Ingredients & Preparation
Grate scrubbed beets or cut into julienne; toss with chopped green onions and a vinaigrette you make or from a bottle in your fridge. Add toasted nuts and/or a sharp cheese (blue, Parmesan, feta). Serve alone or with lettuce.

Orange-Coriander Vinaigrette
www.marthastewart.com

 Whisk together 1 tablespoon orange juice, 2 tablespoons white wine vine-gar, & 1 teaspoon honey. Add 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking until emulsified. Whisk in 1 teaspoon toasted & lightly crushed coriander seeds & 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest. Season with salt & pepper.

Oven-Puffed Pancake with Fresh Nectarines
www.myrecipes.com

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 large eggs

Cooking Spray

1 cup fresh, sliced nectarines

1 teaspoon powdered sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425˚
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup. Level with a knife. Combine flour, milk, granulated sugar, & eggs in a bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Coat a medium nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Pour mixture into skillet. Wrap handle of pan with foil.
Bake at 425˚ for 18 minutes or until puffy & golden. Top with sliced nectarines. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.
(This recipe also works well with raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, & peaches. If fruit is too tart just stir a little sugar into the fruit before putting it on the pancake.)

Roasted Cauliflower

 www.marthastewart.com

Ingredients
1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets (as our cauliflower is so much larger than what you find in the grocery store you probably only need 1/2 head.)

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Coarse salt & ground pepper

1 tablespoon butter

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon capers

1 teaspoon caper juice

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 450˚. Trim, & cut cauliflower into small florets. Spread in a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with coarse salt & ground pepper. Toss to combine. Roast, stirring once or twice, until cauliflower is golden brown & tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.

2. In a small skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Cook garlic cloves, stirring often, until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. ( Be sure not to burn the garlic!) Add capers & caper juice. Pour over cauliflower & toss to coat.

Red Beet Chocolate Cake

One of our neighbors gave us this recipe many years ago. Hope you like it.   Preheat oven to 350˚. Grease & flour two 9-inch cake pans.

Ingredients

 1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cup sugar

1 cup oil

3 eggs

1-1/2 cup pureed beets

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted & cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation

Beat sugar, oil, & eggs for 2 minutes. Beat in beets, chocolate, & vanilla. On low speed add dry ingredients. Pour into prepared pans. Bake 25 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes & then turn out onto racks to cool. Serve with whipped cream or another frosting of your choice. (The pureed beets make this cake really moist. Don’t worry, the chocolate over powers any flavor from the beets!)

 

 

 

FOR OTHER 2009 CSA NEWSLETTERS - click on links below

7/10-7/11             7/17-7/18                7/24-7/25                7/31-8/1   

      8/7-8/8                8/14-8/15                8/21-8/22                8/28-8/29      

9/4-9/5                9/11-9/12                9/18-9/19                9/25-9/26

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copyright 2009 Norm Lehne