Tag Archive: CSA

CSA Newsletter – November 6

Last week’s CSA share

The Weekly Share

This week is the last week of our CSA season Here’s what to expect in this final share:

  • Carrots
  • Collard greens
  • Garlic
  • Glass Gem Popcorn
  • Herbs
  • Hot peppers
  • Kale
  • Onion
  • Potatoes
  • Scallions
  • Sweet peppers
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Swiss chard
  • Sunchokes (Jerusalem artichoke)

*Due to the unpredictability of weather, pest problems, and other factors produce in the weekly shares are subject to last minute changes.

Compound Herb Butter

Thyme, sage, and rosemary

Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away!  An easy way to season a turkey, roasted vegetables, grilled steak, baked potatoes or even biscuits is with compound butters. Compound butters are easy to make and can be made in any flavor combination you can think of – a great way to get creative in the kitchen.  A compound butter is just a mixture of butter and seasoning, such as your CSA herbs, citrus zest, or other aromatics. Here’s a basic compound butter that I love spreading on and under turkey or chicken skin before roasting.

2 sticks of butter, softened

1/2 T chopped rosemary

1/2 T chopped sage

1/2 T chopped thyme

1 T chopped garlic

Use a food processor to finely chop the herbs and garlic then add the butter until all the ingredients are blended evenly. Spread the mixture onto plastic wrap and roll into a log and chill. I recommend letting it set overnight before using it but it can be left in a sealed container in your fridge for a few weeks, making it an easy Thanksgiving treat to make ahead of time.

Other flavor combination ideas:

  • Orange/Honey/Lavendar
  • Cilantro/Lime
  • Scallion/Ginger/Orange
  • Lemon/Parsley
  • Roasted red pepper
  • Lemon/Basil
  • Cinnamon/Honey
  • Roasted garlic
  • Cilantro/Jalapeno
  • Cranberry/Orange

Glass Gem Popcorn

Glass gem corn is a colorful variety of popcorn. Glass gem corn is stunning in the variety of colors and beauty but its also quite delicious as everyone’s favorite movie night snack.  Popcorn is easy to make and you can do it a variety of ways. In the microwave place 1/4C of kernels in a brown paper bag (those ones we used to carry lunches to school in) roll and fold several times to close securely and cook on high for 1-2 minutes, season once its finished. On the stove-top – place one part vegetable oil to two parts popcorn kernels in a pot, cover with a lid and heat, shaking the pot frequently until it’s just a few seconds between pops, add your favorite seasoning and enjoy. As for seasoning – try a compound butter, or melted butter and your favorite seasoning mix, or your favorite cheese.

Connect and Share

What is your favorite part of your CSA share? Are you having trouble figuring out what to do with something in your share? If you have a recipe or picture you want to share, a trick you learned, or a question about your CSA produce please let us know at csa@hornfarmcenter.org.  Share on social media with the hashtag #HornFarmCSA.

CSA Newsletter – October 16

Last week’s CSA share

The Weekly Share

Here’s what to expect in this week’s share:

  • Carrots
  • Garlic
  • Herbs – rosemary and peppermint
  • Hot peppers
  • Onion
  • Potatoes
  • Scallions
  • Sweet peppers
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Swiss chard
  • Sunchokes (Jerusalem artichoke)

*Due to the unpredictability of weather, pest problems, and other factors produce in the weekly shares are subject to last minute changes.

Sunchokes

With the fall harvest we usually see more tubers in the CSA shares and this week sunchokes, also known as Jerusalem artichokes, make their seasonal debut. Neither an artichoke or from Jerusalem, sunchokes are believed to have gotten their moniker from the Italian word for sunflower, girasole, which it’s flowers resemble. Sunchokes are native plants in North America and are cultivated for their tuber. Nutritionally they are high in iron, potassium, thiamin, copper, and dietary fiber. Sunchokes can be sliced thinly when raw and added to salad or can be cooked similarly to how you would cook any other root vegetable or potato. As they have gained popularity in recent years, the number of recipes available for their use has also grown. Like most root vegetables I prefer them tossed in olive oil with light seasoning and roasted, makes for a delicious side dish.

September on the farm

The large yellow flowers in the back are sunchokes.

Sunchokes

  Meet Your Farmer – Miranda Gindling

“Miranda’s smile brightens my entire day.” Alyson Earl, Executive Director

Second year Horn Farm intern Miranda Gindling is originally from College Park, MD but now calls York County home. She became interested in agriculture after volunteering at a farm three years ago. She realized growing her own food and learning survival skills empowered her. Since then she’s worked on growing her homesteading skills in order “to feed my family and community.” “I love to get reminded of the miracle of things growing,” she says of her internship. Miranda has been working hard on the herb garden at the farm this year. In addition to her internship,  Miranda loves to read, write, make art and sew quilts. If you see Miranda at the farm ask her about the herb garden and her experience as a intern.

Connect and Share

What is your favorite part of your CSA share? Are you having trouble figuring out what to do with something in your share? If you have a recipe or picture you want to share, a trick you learned, or a question about your CSA produce please let us know at csa@hornfarmcenter.org.  Share on social media with the hashtag #HornFarmCSA.

CSA Newsletter – October 9

The Weekly Share

Last week’s CSA share – minus a few greens

Here’s what to expect in this week’s share:

  • Asian greens
  • Garlic
  • Herbs – parsley and thyme
  • Hot peppers
  • Onion
  • Potatoes
  • Scallions
  • Sweet peppers
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Swiss chard
  • Tomatoes

*Due to the unpredictability of weather, pest problems, and other factors produce in the weekly shares are subject to last minute changes.

 

Meet Your Farmers – Betsy Dorbian

“Betsy is an inspiration to those of us who believe in following our hearts,” Alyson Earl, Executive Director

Betsy Dorbian is a second year intern at the Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education. She can often be found tending her flower rows on the farm. Betsy is planning to start a flower CSA next year and this year is nurturing rows of plants in preparation and experimentation. Before jumping into agriculture, Betsy spent a 25 year career as a massage therapist. In 2014, she took a month long course called the Ecological Literacy Immersion Program and it changed her trajectory. “I knew I just wanted to be outdoors.” She was introduced to Horn Farm and applied to be an intern. “It felt like home when I was here,” she says. She’s hoping that with the flower CSA she can also teach people about edible flowers and the language of flowers. It’s hard not to catch Betsy’s enthusiasm for flowers (even for an avowed non-flower person like myself), her joyful spirit and smile are contagious too. In addition to tending the flowers and her other jobs as a farm intern, Betsy teaches yoga. If you meet her at the farm ask her to show you the flower beds. You can buy bouquets of the flowers at the farm stand..

Connect and Share

What is your favorite part of your CSA share? Are you having trouble figuring out what to do with something in your share? If you have a recipe or picture you want to share, a trick you learned, or a question about your CSA produce please let us know at csa@hornfarmcenter.org.  Share on social media with the hashtag #HornFarmCSA.