News & Blog
this week's produce (July 4-8)
• Salad greens
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Arugula
• Kale
• Broccoli
• Baby Squash
• Beets
• Herbs: Basil, Dill, Parsley, Cilantro
• Possibly - Radishes, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Kohlrabi and carrots
*Please note this is a tenative list and is subject to change
cooking kohlrabi and other crazy things
This week Susan Evans of Chrysalis Herbs will be providing a tasting and recipe to take home using some of the more rare vegetables this week at distribution. If you have any questions on how to prepare a certain vegetable please feel free to ask her. She will be at York st. Tuesday, July 5 from 5-6 p.m. and also at Chatfield from 5-6 p.m. on Thursday, July 7.
recipe exchange
If you haven’t already signed up for our recipe exchange at your weekly CSA distribution, please do so. We will be taking turns sending a recipe to each other utilizing at least one CSA veggie to help generate good ideas for cooking at home. Look for a clipboard at the check in table at your weekly distribution or feel free to ask a CSA staff member for more details.
this week's recipe
This recipe is from Liz Tanner, Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield horticulturist
Cilantro Verde Enchiladas
1 bunch cilantro (a small amount of parsley is nice too)
2 cups salsa verde (green salsa or fresh tomatillo sauce)
1 medium to large onion, quartered
1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced (keep some seeds if you like heat)
1 Tbsp chopped garlic (1-2 large segments)
1/4-1/2 tsp salt or to taste (this will depend on the salsa verde you use)
1 8-ounce container of cream cheese
10 tortillas
2 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded
4-5 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken (I used six pre-frozen breasts. If using fresh chicken, three or four large ones would probably be plenty.)
• Cook chicken in the oven or crockpot with salt, pepper, garlic powder, lemon juice and a little olive oil to add another level of greatness to the enchiladas. Preheat your oven to 350°
• In a blender, combine onion, salsa, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno and salt. Blend until smooth. Stir in softened cream cheese. Pour half of the sauce over the chicken and stir until well coated. Reserve remaining sauce to pour over top of the enchiladas.
• Scoop about 1/2 a cup of chicken mixture in each tortilla, roll up and place side by side in a lightly greased 9×13 pan. Pour reserved sauce over finished enchiladas and cover with tinfoil. Bake for about 30-35 minutes remove foil and sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for 10-15 more minutes.
• Tastes great with black beans, tomato and olives on top
farm topic - fun with kids
Not all kids love eating beets, but they may love a craft project with them!
• Buy one pair white cotton kids socks and rubber bands ahead of time. Tie the rubber bands around the socks in stripes (like tie dying).
• After you boil or steam your beets, save the heated colored water. Add half a cup of vinegar and half a cup of salt to the water.
• Add 4 tablespoons of alum or cream of tartar to the pot. Bring the red water to a very soft boil once again. While the water is barely boiling, add the socks to the mixture.
• Your kids will love doing this, because you are making sock soup! Yuck!
• After 1 ½ hours, pull the socks from the mixture using tongs and let cool.
• Rinse slightly in cold water.
• Remove rubber bands and lay socks out to dry.
• Enjoy having pink tie dyed socks!! If you want them to be red, cook them for at least three hours and remove, making sure the water is not boiling too much (don’t throw these socks in the washer - hand wash instead).
food safety note
Please note that although we have washed our produce once after harvesting it in the field, members should wash the produce at home again before eating. Our farm produce should be treated the same way as grocery store produce: always wash before eating! The best way to wash produce is by running it under cool water. Cleaning products are not necessary.
Clearly Abundant
My yoga teacher talked about abundance last Friday, urging us to observe the abundance within ourselves. But later, after returning from the grocery, what I observed was abundance upon the kitchen counter. A couple of red tomatoes, yellow cherry tomatoes, an avocado, red onion, yellow onion, apples, new potatoes, a lemon – all huddled together for a real homey, rustic, colorful look of abundance.
Add to that all the fresh-picked, green produce from the CSA, and it’s enough to make one feel abundant indeed. Because when you start with great produce, you cook great meals. It’s that simple. And with last week’s fresh greens, lettuces and herbs, I nailed three great dinners.
Well, almost. User error came into play on Friday night, when I fixed butternut squash ravioli with sage brown butter. Taste: exquisite. Appearance: hmm. I used wonton wrappers instead of making my own ravioli dough. This was lots easier, but you still have to assemble the raviolis individually, which is quite time-consuming. After carefully assembling 25 raviolis, I proceeded to boil them all at once (mistake #1, as they were too crowded in the pot) and then dumped them en masse into the colander like it was a big pot of spaghetti instead of 25 individual, delicate pillows (mistake #2). They all stuck together and I had to spoon them out like mashed potatoes. Also I got started too late for such a labor-intensive project (mistake #3). Ray and I finally sat down to eat our ravioli and salad at about 9:30. Still, I would prepare this Emeril Lagasse recipe again in a heartbeat because it was THAT delicious. And Ray didn’t mind the carbs – he said the dish was restaurant quality. I’m fairly certain he was referring to its taste, not its funky appearance.
On Sunday I made salmon topped with lime and dill in foil packets. I popped them in the oven for about 20 minutes – so easy! – and served the salmon with sautéed spinach. The salmon was pricy at $6.99 per fillet, but wow, was it worth it.
And finally the kale dish suggested by Susan Evans in her cooking demo. Simple recipe: Saute some garlic and onion with pancetta in nice big skillet. Remove the cooked pancetta and set aside, then cover so you won’t nibble at it. To the skillet add coarsely chopped kale and a cup of chicken broth. Season with salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper. Braise slowly, covered, for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook some whole-wheat spaghetti. When done, remove spaghetti with wire skimmer and add to skillet along with about half a can of white beans (e.g., garbanzo, cannellini, Great Northern) and reserved pancetta. Stir it all together, heat for a few minutes and adjust seasoning. If too dry, add a little pasta water. Serve with a sprinkling of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. A healthful, tasty, one-pot meal. And the freshness of the kale made it a star ingredient rather than a side thought.
Adding peas and herbs to salads, eating lots of salads throughout the week, I was able to use up nearly everything. By the time of the second distribution on Tuesday, the only things left were a bit of lettuce, which I ate that evening, and the oregano. Stumped, I finally decided to take my friend Rob’s advice and dry the oregano by hanging it upside down over a jar in the pantry. This week we received more oregano, which has joined last week’s batch in the drying jar. If this herb-drying project turns out well – what can go wrong? – I plan to use the oregano in a big batch of pizza sauce for freezing.
Also in this week’s distribution were lettuces, spinach and kale; cilantro, parsley and dill; and both sugar snap and shelling peas. Having devised a plan for it all, I’m especially eager to make a dish I saw Jamie Oliver prepare on TV. It was potato salad with smoked salmon, dill and horseradish crème fraiche, which I’ll serve with peas and arugula. Abundance galore.
Dear CSA shareholders,
We hope you all are enjoying the spinach, greens, herbs, salad and peas in your kitchen!
Now that our season has officially begun we want to know how you are feeling about your experience with the CSA. Please feel free to email us with any comments or suggestions at
going on vacation
Planning on going out of town for the long weekend? If you know you will be missing your weekly CSA distribution you are welcome to share your weekly harvest with a friend, neighbor, or relative who loves veggies. All they need to do is sign in for you and a staff member can help them pick out their produce. Don’t forget the bags!
this weeks produce (June 28)
• Snap and shelling peas
• Salad greens
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Arugula
• Kale
• Radishes
• Broccoli – possibly
• Basil - possibly
• Dill, Parsley, Cilantro
*Please note this is a tenative list and is subject to change
weekly recipe
Spinach Soup
With Basil and Dill
Adapted from Mollie Katzen’s Vegetable Heaven cookbook
Ingredients
2 medium-sized russet potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into cubes (peeling optional)
2 cups chopped onion
1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
5 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (possibly more to taste)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Approx. 2 pounds fresh spinach, cleaned and chopped
1/2 cup minced fresh dill
A small handful fresh basil leaves
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Optional Topping:
A little yogurt
Mild paprika
Directions
1. Place the potatoes, onion, garlic, water, salt and mustard in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer very slowly for about 20 minutes.
2. Use a food processor or a blender to puree the soup with all its solids, adding the spinach and fresh herbs along the way.
3. Return the soup to the pot and heat slowly. Add black pepper to taste. Serve hot, with a drizzle of yogurt and a dusting of mild paprika on top, if desired.
farm topic of the week
Clear out your refrigerator because our veggies are growing fast! Beets, basil, broccoli, cabbage, summer squash and carrots are on their way! We’ll also start seeing potatoes in the next few weeks as well!
Don’t throw away your veggies tops!
Instead of throwing away the nutrient-rich vegetable tops of radishes, carrots, parsnips (to name a few) or the stems of parsley or kale, try using them. One great method is making a vitamin rich smoothie. This may look like green goo, but it’s a great way to get the nutrients you need in the middle of summer heat.
Green Smoothies
Ingredients:
Serves 2
One bunch of green tops off radishes, carrots or what you have your CSA box
1/2 handful of flat-leafed parsley
a few leaves of arugula or spinach stems
4-6 frozen bananas or fresh bananas with ice added
3 cups water, or more to blend
*add the juice from a whole lemon if you looking to cleanse or detoxify
Method:
Wash the greens, blend ingredients together and enjoy getting your daily vitamins in a very cool way! Stay tuned for more ideas on how to use the whole vegetable that you are receiving each week. This smoothie is good for you and much cheaper than buying a fancy green smoothie at the store.
food safety note
Please note that although we have washed our produce once after harvesting it in the field, members should wash the produce at home again before eating. Our farm produce should be treated the same way as grocery store produce: always wash before eating! The best way to wash produce is by running it under cool water. Cleaning products are not necessary.
Along with the other CSA shareholders, I gathered several tote bags and drove out to Chatfield yesterday afternoon. Strangers all, we smiled and nodded at each other in passing like we were old friends — I guess we’re new “veggie pals.” I had decided against bringing my father, which was a good decision because he couldn’t have tolerated walking and standing in the hot sun.
For me, though, it was a delightful couple of hours at Chatfield. The staff had begun harvesting at 5:30 that morning, but nevertheless they were perky and eager to help us select our produce. Leigh Rovegno, who heads the Chatfield CSA, gave an informative tour of the gardens — I learned about “fish and kelp emulsion” and “smart farming” (who knew?) — followed by Susan Evans’ fun cooking demonstration.
All in the Planning
I stopped on the way home to buy a box of GreenBags, which Susan highly recommends. Once home, I washed and bagged all 11 items: salad mix, arugula, sugar snap peas, kale, spinach, a head of lettuce and 5 herbs: cilantro, parsley, dill, oregano and sage.
All subsequent pickups will be a whole week apart, but for those of us picking up at the Denver Botanic Gardens’ York Street location, these first two pickups are only 5 days apart. Moreover, I had previously arranged to dine out with friends both that evening and Saturday night. That left just 3 dinners before the next distribution on Tuesday. Thus I set about formulating a plan for eating everything up.
Meatless Monday?
I’m still not sure what to do with the oregano (suggestions welcome!), but here’s the plan for everything else:
Friday: Butternut squash ravioli with sage butter and parsley garnish, along with a salad using the salad mix, arugula and peas. Not sure if hubby Ray will welcome the ravioli, as we try to limit carbs for weight control. Oh well, I’m sure he’ll love it.
Sunday: Grilled salmon with dill on a bed of spinach, along with a salad using the butter lettuce and peas.
Monday: Susan gave us a recipe for braised kale and butter beans, which I thought would go well with pork chops. On the other hand, the dish sounds fairly hearty because of the beans, so I might just serve it by itself and jump on Paul McCartney’s “meatless Mondays” bandwagon.
The cilantro I’ll use in pico de gallo which, along with homemade tortilla chips, will do for a pre-dinner nibble or afternoon snack. And I’ll be lunching every day on salad to use up the rest of that tender butter lettuce — which is just fine by me! I was actually surprised that the quantity received in this first distribution seems quite manageable. But Susan said we’ll be getting more and more as the season progresses. Stay tuned.
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Dear Shareholders, Thank you for making it out to our first distribution last night! We realize that for some of you, it was a longer drive than usual but we are all glad everyone had a chance to see where your food is coming from. We hope you also enjoyed the cooking demonstration with Susan Evans. Please keep in mind the times and location of your distribution. If you are picking up your produce at York St., we will be at the south end of the top level of the parking structure from 4:30 - 7 p.m. If you are picking up your produce at Chatfield, we will be in the CSA washstand, located in the Hildebrand Ranch area. Please park in the old schoolhouse parking lot and walk to the washstand. We will be there from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.
*Please note this is a tenative list and is subject to change Emerald Sesame Kale Ingredients 2 teaspoon olive oil DirectionsHeat oils over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and saute for one minute. Farm Blogging!
We have a new resident CSA blogger, Vicki Witt Phillips. She already has posted her first blog on our website with a very enthusiastic welcome from our community. Vicki’s blog will focus on her first experiences, thoughts and insights on being a CSA member. Ever felt vegetable anxiety? Or just simply overwhelmed by all your produce? Vicki will make you laugh and make you feel reassured you can handle a huge bunch of radishes or something else you may have never seen before. Here is a link to Vicki's first blog entry. To follow her blog on the CSA website, go to 'about us,' 'news & blog.'
Please note that although we have washed our produce once after harvesting it in the field, members should wash the produce at home again before eating. Our farm produce should be treated the same way as grocery store produce: always wash before eating! The best way to wash produce is by running it under cool water. Cleaning products are not necessary. |
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Hello CSA members -
Please note that distribution for all members is this Thursday, June 16 at Chatfield.
The first York St. distribution will occur Tuesday, June 21.
- Starting June 21, York St. distribution will be every Tuesday from 4:30 – 7 p.m.
- Chatfield distribution will be every Thursday from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.
See you then!
Welcome to the Chatfield CSA blog, and welcome to CSA shareholder and blog author Vicki Witt Phillips. A former writer and editor originally from Lexington, KY, Vicki has worked for publications in Cincinnati, Atlanta and finally Denver, where she has lived since 2003. Her food blog entries, Vicki’s Vegetable Venture, will chronicle her experiences receiving a weekly box of produce from the CSA during the 2011 growing season.
Why I’m Joining the Chatfield CSA
My father had the most amazing vegetable garden. We lived in the country on the outskirts of Lexington, KY, where the limestone soil of the the Bluegrass State yielded the best-tasting tomatoes ever. The output of his garden was so ample we had plenty to share with neighbors, friends and family, plus lots to preserve for the winter.
When my dad was 83, the Lexington Herald-Leader ran a photo of him beside his vine of tobacco worm beans, which had grown to such heights he was on a ladder to pick the top-most beans. He never used chemical fertilizers or pesticides, even though the term “organic” was not how he described his garden. He just tended his plants the only way he knew how – weeding, watering, harvesting, nurturing.
I Can’t Even Grow Mint
Growing up with abundant fresh produce all summer long, I never appreciated what a treasure trove we had right in our backyard. Even as an adult, long after I’d left Lexington, visits back home would mean a return to the bounty of that garden. My mother, who was Italian, used to make an exquisite dish of Italian sausage and garden-picked peppers and onions. Or she’d simply drizzle olive oil and sprinkle oregano over a plateful of juicy ripe tomatoes.
Old-timey stringbeans, fuzzy crookneck squash, odd-shaped heirloom tomatoes – all would vie for space on the kitchen counter. Bits of dirt, miniscule crawly critters, strands of corn silk, pieces of grass – these were regular kitchen visitors, too.
Here in Denver, I have no yard to grow anything, although many of my Wash Park neighbors do grow lovely summer crops. But it wouldn’t matter if I did have a yard, because I never learned from my dad how to garden. In fact, a few years ago I killed the mint I had growing in a container out front. My husband, Ray, who takes great care of our house plants, reckons I just didn’t water it enough for Denver’s dry air. Even so, he asks, how can you kill mint?
At Last … Tender Lettuce
In recent years, as the concept of community supported agriculture (CSA) has gained in popularity, I keep recalling those vegetables from my childhood home. Many times I’ve flirted with the idea of becoming a shareholder in a CSA, talking to lots of folks who’ve done it. Frankly, though, I’ve been scared off by the accounts of others who claimed they just got too much produce. “Vegetable anxiety” was a phrase I kept hearing.
This year I finally decided to take the plunge. I think it was getting tasteless, tough, old lettuce one too many times at the grocery store that pushed me over the edge. I researched various CSAs in our area and went with Chatfield’s because the produce doesn’t travel long distances to reach me, they donate to homeless shelters and the price was right.
What to Do with a Boatload of Radishes?
The first distribution is on June 16. On that day all the shareholders go out to Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield to pick up their first harvest of the year. I plan to bring along my dad, who now lives in a nursing home here in Denver. Now 89, he has dementia but still mentions his garden from time to time. I think he’ll be in his element when he sees the garden at Chatfield.
I’m both excited and nervous as June 16 approaches. Can’t wait to have a fresh salad, savor sweet peas that aren’t frozen or canned, bite into a tomato that tastes like a tomato, and cook with fresh herbs without spending $4 a pop. But what if I come home with a boatload of radishes? What if my weekly box has some foreign vegetable in it that I’ve never even heard of? What if there’s too much for Ray and me to eat?
Read Our Blog!
In this ongoing blog throughout the CSA season, I’ll keep you posted on how I’m doing. Here you’ll read what veggies I receive in each distribution, what I cook with them, whether I had to give or throw anything away, how the produce tastes, what new recipes I’m using in order to use everything up, and what planning is involved in the process.
I aim to give an accurate picture of this experience to help others decide whether to join a CSA. And we’ll see whether I achieve my three goals for this CSA experience:
- Avoid throwing anything away.
- Eat more healthfully – i.e., more veggies, less meat.
- Enjoy a summer full of fresh produce!
Dear CSA Shareholders,
Our season has gotten off to a great start, thanks to rain and perfect temperatures! The crops are looking beautiful, our staff has become a family and we have had a great turnout of volunteers this year to help us. We’d like to introduce our new and returning staff so you have an idea of who will be at each distribution.
Leigh Rovegno, manager of the CSA, will head the York Street distribution team and will be joined by Brian Gandy and Elizabeth Mullen, CSA growers. Jenny Thomas, our head grower, will be at our Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield distribution. She was with the CSA last year. DeJa Walker and Sami Lester, CSA interns, will also be part of our Chatfield distribution. Josie Hart-Genter, new this year, is the CSA community coordinator and will be at our first distribution.
new options this year
Fruit Shares
You have the option this year to add a fruit share to your normal distribution pickups. Each week starting in August, you will be able to pick up a pre-bagged selection of:
- Peaches
- Apples or pears
- Peaches and plums
- Applesauce
- Cider
The deadline for payment has been extended to June 23, a week after our first distribution. If you are interested in purchasing a share, you can bring a check or credit card to our first distribution and buy it then. Each share is $210, however feel free to split it with another family. For more details please see the contract linked below. You can pick up your bag of fruit when you pick up your regular share at either location.
http://sfc.smallfarmcentral.com/dynamic_content/uploadfiles/1321/2011FruitShareInformationAndContract1.pdf
New Produce
We have added new and exciting crops this year to our distribution, so stay tuned for recipes and cooking demos for these veggies. The new herbs/veggies include:
- Fennel
- Kholrabi
- Parsnips
- Additional turnips
- Watermelon
- Garlic
- Additional potato varieties
- Brussel sprouts
first distribution (june 16, 4-7 p.m.)
Our first distribution for all shareholders will be held at our CSA washstand building, behind the Hildebrand Ranch area. Please park in the schoolhouse parking lot and head down the path past the ranch house until you see the small white building on your left. We will have tours of the field if you would like to see the crops growing. We also will have a cooking/tasting demonstration by Susan Evans, herbalist and chef. She will be working with the vegetables of the week and handing out recipes to take home. Please remember to bring your own bags and fruit share payment methods.
When you arrive, you will be selecting produce from baskets, weighing it out and bagging it up. We will let you know how much of each item is available to you depending on the size of your share.
this week’s produce (june 16)
Lettuce, spinach, dill, cilantro, parsley, oregano, salad mix, arugula, kale
- Please note that this is a tentative list and is subject to change.
next week’s produce (june 21 or 23)
Lettuce, spinach, dill, cilantro, parsley, oregano, salad mix, arugula, kale, snap peas, radish
- Please note that this is a tentative list and is subject to change.
weekly pick up locations
For York Street members, the pick up location will be the same as last year, at the south end of the top level in the parking structure. Look for our signs and our friendly staff at the tables. Park in a spot at the south end. York street distribution will last from 4:30-7 p.m. every Tuesday.
For Chatfield members, we will be at the washstand building from 4:30-6:30 p.m. every Thursday. Please park in the schoolhouse parking lot and follow the signs. You will have a short walk, so please remember to bring an adequate number of bags.
volunteer opportunities
Please keep in mind that we still need to fill crucial volunteer positions for our CSA. If you are interested, please email Josie Hart-Genter at
food safety note
Please note that although we have washed our produce once after harvesting it in the field, members should wash the produce at home again before eating. Our farm produce should be treated the same way as grocery store produce: always wash before eating! The best way to wash produce is by running it under cool water. Cleaning products are not necessary.
Hi CSA Members,
Due to the higher temperatures this week our first batch of CSA lettuce was ready a little early. We harvested it this morning and we will be handing it out tomorrow, here at Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. If you are a CSA member, please come by the tent located in front of the schoolhouse. We realize that the timing is not going to be perfect for everybody, but this is just a bonus to us all and you will still be receiving plenty of fresh veggies for the first distribution on June 16. Thanks, and see you tomorrow if you are interested.
