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CSA #29


Dear CSA-ers,

This week’s preassembled bag will contain Green Beans, Mixed Peppers, Malabar Spinach, Swiss Chard, Roselles, Chives and Beets. For those of you placing custom orders, you may do so between now and Tuesday evening on the website at: http://magneyfarm.locallygrown.net/market

At a little more than a week out from Autumnal Equinox, changes in day-length are becoming quite noticeable. As the angle of the sun becomes lower in the sky, mornings warm up slower, and evenings cool more quickly. The farm periphery is lighting up with Fall wildflowers: bright yellow goldenrod, vivid violet ironweed, and stark white boneset. We have seen migrating monarch butterflies, and the caterpillars of swallowtails eating voraciously to accumulate the energy to overwinter as chrysalises. Though we are not seeing any color change on the tree leaves yet, it will come soon. If you are able, we would encourage you to spend some time observing the outdoors during this beautiful window of the year.
SPINACH SALAD WITH MAPLE RANCH DRESSING, BACON AND BEETS

INGREDIENTS
DRESSING
• ¼ cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives
• 2 teaspoons dark maple syrup
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried buttermilk powder, such as SACO or nutritional yeast
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
SALAD
• 1 pound small or baby beets (weight is with no greens attached)
• 8 cups baby spinach
• 4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
• Chive blossoms for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Make Dressing: Combine yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, chives, maple syrup, buttermilk or yeast, salt, dill and pepper in a bowl and whisk to combine. Alternatively puree in a mini prep. (If doubling the dressing a blender works well.)
2. Make Salad: Place beets in a large sauce pan, cover generously with water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork, 40 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes depending on size. Drain and cool. Trim, peel and cut into wedges or slices.
3. Arrange spinach in salad bowls. Top with the beets, bacon and ranch dressing. Garnish with chive blossoms.

Naturally, the changing of the seasons will affect the composition of the CSA bags and online market. The disappearance of some items and the reappearance of others is what is meant by “seasonal eating.” For millennia, this was the way in which humans ate, perhaps imbuing a greater sense of the seasons, a deeper appreciation for food, and a heightened connection with the Earth from which all food comes. We hope that in some small way, your participation in the CSA Online Market helps you reconnect with these deeply human rhythms.

Our featured vegetable, Swiss Chard, really comes into its groove during Autumn. This season we’ll be offering a rainbow Swiss Chard that is a blend of 3 different varieties, which includes a new favorite called ‘Pink Passion.’ The leaves of Swiss Chard are best removed from the stem and eaten cooked. While the stems themselves are fibrous, they can be chopped crosswise in quarter to half inch slices and cooked with the leaves or separately in stir-fries. Chard stems are also great for juicing. Nutritionally, Chard is great choice for powering up your immune system with Vitamins C and K as well as many trace minerals. We hope that you are as happy to have this one back from its summer hiatus as we are!

Sauteed Swiss Chard with Raisins and Pine Nuts

Ingredients
• 2 bunches (about 1 1/2 pounds total) Swiss chard, stalks cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces, leaves torn into 2-inch pieces (keep stalks and leaves separate)
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup golden raisins- I would use the Rozelles from this weeks bag
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions
• Step 1
Wash chard, leaving some water clinging to stalks and leaves; set aside. In a large saucepan with a lid, toast the pine nuts over medium-high heat, shaking pan to brown evenly, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from pan; set aside.
• Step 2
In same saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add stalks, and cook until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add leaves, raisins, and garlic. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until tender, 6 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Step 3
Pull lid back slightly, and tilt pan to pour off water. Stir in vinegar and pine nuts; season with salt and pepper. Serve.

As always, we would like to thank you for support of our farm. We have been opting to forgo farmers’ markets in efforts to strengthen our presence in CSA. It is your enthusiasm that has led this decision, and we feel blessed to be serving such a wonderful community.

Sincerely,
The Magney Legacy Ridge Farm Team