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CSA #20


Dear CSA-ers,

This week’s preassembled bag will include Baby Beets with tops, Lovelock Head Lettuce, Spring Mix, Casper White Eggplant, Mixed Tomatoes, Baby Bell Peppers, and Oregano. Custom orders may be placed between now and Tuesday evening on the website at: http://magneyfarm.locallygrown.net/market

As the August heat drags on and the summer rains have abruptly ended, it’s never been a better time to have the water lines up and running again. We thank Ray Magney and his heroic effort, fighting mud, and at times dark, to get the system fully functioning. We cross our fingers for no further issues, and thus far have been able to irrigate (and use water in the house) all week. Consistent irrigation is of particular importance to our summer lettuces and germinating the late rotation of fall carrot seeds. If soil moisture for either of these crops drops below a certain point, they will fail. This has definitely been an important fix.
We’ve struggled with missing some of our team members this week. You never fully appreciate what people do until they’re not around to do it. This is beginning to place us a bit behind with Fall planting, but the transplant seedlings are looking strong, and we seem to have good establishment on our direct seed crops. Hopefully favorable conditions in the coming weeks will give us a chance to catch up. Everything in agriculture is timing, it is keeping time to a rhythm of rhythms.
This week’s featured vegetable is the beet. Beets are in the “amaranth” family, being most closely related to Swiss Chard and Spinach. The beet originates from Southern Europe and the Mediterranean region although it is featured most prominently in Eastern European cuisine. Beets are rich in folate and manganese and may help lower blood pressure. We grow many different types of beets, though the majority of this week’s share will be a traditional red variety called “Rhonda.” All parts of the beet are edible, including the tops which can be treated like Swiss Chard. A simple preparation for baby beets to cut the tops and bottom of the root off, boil them until they fork tender, then cool, peel, slice, and serve them on salad. In Detroit, boiled baby beets are a standard addition to most Greek Salads.
As always, we thank you for your support of our business. If you have great recipe ideas, or a dish made with our vegetables that turned out well, please tag us @magneylegacyridgefarm. We love hearing from our customers, and we look forward to bringing you more healthy local produce in the future.

Sincerely,
The Magney Legacy Ridge Farm Team

This week’s recipe: Ratatouille!
Ingredients:
2 zucchinis
2 yellow squash
2 small eggplants
3 slicer tomatoes
1 (26-ounce) jar of tomato basil pasta sauce
3 bell peppers
2 tablespoons fresh oregano
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 tablespoons fresh basil (about 7-9 leaves)
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons of olive oil
Directions:
Step 1: Prepare your veggies. Slice your zucchini into thin coins and repeat for each vegetable. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 2: Prepare your sauce. Saute diced bell pepper in a bit of olive oil over medium-high heat. Once heated (about 3-4min), add your sauce and reduce heat to low. Once warmed, pour sauce into the base of your cast iron skillet (I used a 12")
Step 3: Layer vegetable coins in a spiral pattern around the skillet until the entire pan is covered.
Step 4: Prepare your herb drizzle. Combine the minced garlic, chopped oregano, thyme, basil and parsley with 4 T of olive oil and salt and pepper. Mix well and evenly pour over the top of the veggies.
Step 5: Cover finished dish with tinfoil and bake for 40-45 minutes covered, and remove the foil for the last 15-20 minutes until the veggies are soft.
Step 6: Enjoy!