News & Blog

Hello Everyone!

For Purchase:
Today for distribution we will have honey, warm hats and headbands for sale. Also the Pinwheel Foundation will be making a stop with their pinwheels to purchase. All proceeds will go to the Child Abuse Awareness Campaign, so please buy one if you can.

We are all out of egg cartons! Please bring your egg cartons in today to pick your eggs!

Come out to National Food Day this Thursday at Denver Botanic Gardens starting from 10 a.m. to     3 p.m. - free food samples!

 We will have share renewal details and end of season surveys next week at our last distributions.

Thanks everyone.

Dear shareholders,

Hello everyone! The CSA will be held in the usual spot today, regardless of weather. Please come as EARLY as possible so our staff can go home before dark. Thanks!

We have HONEY on sale today - both sizes (Quarts $20, pints $10). Please remember to bring CASH! This honey is local to Chatfield and the jars make great holiday gifts! 

PUMPKINS - Normally we hand out a decorative pumpkin every year to our shareholders, however with the moisture and cold temperatures the pumpkins are turning soft! If you would like to pick your own pumpkin up out here at Chatfield, you are welcome to do so however you will have to search for a good one! We did have a very successful Pumpkin Fest that raised a lot of money for the Botanic Gardens this year and we hope some of you made it out here for that!

EGG CARTONS! Please bring an egg carton today before you pick up your eggs because we are out of cartons for people. Thanks!

We are getting very close to the end of distribution and our staff will let everyone know if we don't have enough produce due to the weather conditions. Thanks!

Any questions regarding Harvest Shares from MMLocal can be directed to . I also answer that email address and generally get responses out within 24 hours. 

Thanks and see you today or Thursday!

 

Dear shareholders,

We have honey for sale today (Thursday) and next Tuesday! Stock up - we will be able to supply EVERYONE with the honey they need and the jars are the same price ($20, $10, $5)as last week. These make great holiday gifts so please remember your cash! We can take checks too but please make checks out to Bob and Josie Dolezal.

Here are some recipes that members have sent in to share with you all. We hope you are enjoying your produce each week and the recipes!

Glazed Delicata Squash
2 medium delicata squash (about 2 lbs) or other firm winter squash

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 cup very coarsely chopped fresh sage

1 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh rosemary

1 2/ cups fresh apple cider

1 cup water

2 tsp sherry vinegar

1 tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper

If using delicata, peel it with a vegetable peeler, cut it lengthwise in half and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Cut each piece lengthwise in half again, then crosswise, into 1/2 inch thick slices. Other squash (acorn, butternut) should be peeled, cut into 1-inch wedges, then sliced 1/2 inch thick.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add the sage and rosemary and cook, stirring, until the butter just begins to turn golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Don't let the herbs brown.

Add the squash to the skillet, then the apple cider, water, vinegar and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat at an even boil until the cider has boiled down to a glaze and the squash is tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Taste and season with pepper and additional salt.

 

Broccoli Cheese Soup                                                                                                            1 bunch broccoli, about 1 1/4 pounds, (washed and trimmed)                                                        2 cups sliced onions 

5 tbsp butter or oil
7 cups chicken or veggie broth, divided
1 tsp oregano
1/4 cup flour
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp pepper
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions
1. Cut florets off broccoli and divide into small sections.
2. Simmer in lightly salted water for 2 minutes; drain and immerse in cold water to stop cooking; then set aside.
3. Cut stalks into small pieces; place in a large saucepan. Add sliced onions and 3 tablespoons of butter to saucepan; sauté over medium low heat for 5 minutes.
4. Add 3 cups chicken broth and oregano to the saucepan; simmer 20 to 30 minutes.
5. Carefully process hot mixture in batches in a blender until smooth.
6. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in saucepan; stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly.
7. Stir in mustard and pepper. Gradually stir in processed mixture and remaining 4 cups of chicken broth.
8. Continue to cook, stirring, until mixture begins to bubble. Add milk and cheese; stir until smooth and cheese is melted. Add remaining broccoli florets and heat through. Broccoli cheese soup serves 8.

 Easy Roast Beets                                                                                                    Ingredients

2 pounds red beets, medium sized, scrubbed clean, green tops removed 
Olive oil
Salt
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
Freshly ground black pepper
Method

1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil. Place the beets in the pan. Rub olive oil over the beets, and sprinkle with salt. Cover the beets with another sheet of aluminum foil. Roast for 1 to 2 hours, depending on the size of the beets and how old they are. After 1 hour, test every fifteen minutes by poking a beet with the tines of a fork. Once the fork tines go in easily, the beets are tender and cooked. Remove from the oven.

2 While the beets are cooling, prepare the balsamic glaze. In a small, shallow sauté pan, add the balsamic vinegar and sugar. Heat on high until the vinegar has reduced to a syrup consistency. Remove from heat.

3 After the beets have cooled for several minutes, but are still warm to the touch, peel off the outer skins and discard. Cut the beets into quarters or more, bite-sized pieces.

4 Place beets in a serving bowl. Pour balsamic glaze over the beets. Stir in grated orange zest, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with a little orange zest to serve.

Yield: Serves 6 to 8.

 

Tomato Jam
Yield: Varies depending on the kind of tomato used, pan width and the finished thickness*
Ingredients

5 pounds tomatoes, finely chopped
3 1/2 cups sugar
8 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon red chili flakes
Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a large, non-reactive pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce temperature to a simmer. Stirring regularly, simmer** the jam until it reduces to a sticky, jammy mess. This will take between 1 and 1 1/2 hours, depending on how high you keep your heat.
When the jam has cooked down sufficiently, remove from heat and fill jars, leaving 1/4 inch of head space. Wipe rims, apply lids and twist on rings. Process in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes.
When time is up, remove jars from water bath and allow them to cool. When jars are cool enough to handle, test seals. Store jars in a cool, dark place for up to one year.
Notes

*The finished yield on this recipe varies depending on the kind of tomato you use, the width of your pan and the finished thickness to which you cook it.

2010 yield: 4 1/2 pints; 2011 yield: 3 pints; 2012 yield: 2 1/2 pints

**In my kitchen, the word simmer means to cook just below a boil. There should still be a few bubbles, but it shouldn’t be splashing all over your cooktop. If you cook at lower temperatures, the cooking time will increase.

http://foodinjars.com/2010/09/tomato-jam/

Rosemary Honey Drizzle for Cheese
ingredients

1 cup walnut pieces
3/4 cup local honey
1/2 cup walnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or oregano or rosemary leaves plus 2 sprigs
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
4 whole dried chiles de árbol

Ingredient info: Chiles de árbol can be found at better supermarkets and at Latin American markets.
preparation

Preheat oven to 325°F. Spread the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Let cool. Coarsely chop; set aside.

Whisk honey and oil in a medium bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fold in walnuts, thyme, and lemon zest. Add chiles. Divide between two 8-ounce jars. Cover and chill. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 month ahead. Keep chilled. Stir before using.

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Dear Shareholders,

In this newsletter we will have tomorrow's produce list and next week's. We hope those of you who came out to the farm for our potluck had a good time! We enjoyed a surprise treat from Sweet Action ice cream, FREE tickets to the corn maze/ hay rides and tons of delicious food! Thanks to all of you who made our community stronger - Phil and Josie also appreciated your valuable opinions about the CSA and how the experience went this year. We will be sending out feedback surveys with some information regarding next year's CSA program. Please take the time to fill these surveys out! Your voice as a shareholder is very important to us and we want to announce some exciting new developments to the CSA's future!

Last distribution days for 2013: Tuesday the 29 of October and Thursday the 31st of October.

Produce list for October 8 and 10: Last Tomatoes!
*This list is tenative and subject to change (especially this time of year)!

Spinach
Eggplant
Tomatoes
Peppers
Winter squash
Carrots or beets
Jalapeno
Onion
Herb assortment


**October 17th (Thursday) will be the end for the add on shares (bread, coffee, mushrooms, eggs) except for our fruit share which will end Oct.24th (Thursday).


Produce list for next week - October 14 - 18
*this list is tenative and subject to change  Garlic We will be sending out an additional email this week filled with recipes we have collected for the fall weather so please stay tuned! Have a great week and thanks from all of us at the Chatfield CSA!

 

Dear shareholders,

Our local Chatfield honey is on sale! Half quarts are $10, full quarts are $20 - cash or check only. If we sell out we will have more the following week so please don't worry! Make checks payable to Josie Dolezal, cash is better though!

Please come to the potluck this Sunday from 1-4 p.m. We will provide beer, iced tea and other drinks. Bring a dish to share and hopefully take home some new recipes. You can purchase a discounted corn maze/hay ride pass for the whole family or just for you. PLease park inthe corn maze upper lot parking and head over to the large white tent beside our Visitor Center and Schoolhouse buildings.

We apologize that some of you didn't (only a few) did not receive potatoes on Tuesday. If you were one of these people, please respond to this email and we will bring you extra potatoes next week. You can email me at [email protected].

We thank you so much! Stay tuned for a tomato jam/spread recipe!

-The CSA Team

 

Hi Shareholders!

 I realize we just sent you an email however, I had to share this recipe with you. I found it on "riddlelove" a fun blog about organic farming and menu planning. We will have 10 pound bags of tomatoes for sale tomorrow/Thursday and this soup freezes great!

Creamy Tomato Bisque
Serves 6

• About 8 cups tomatoes
• 4 Tablespoons bacon grease (Just do it.  Trust me on this one.  Or use butter if it's too much to wrap your mind around.)
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 stalk celery, sliced
• 1/4 cup arrowroot powder whisked into 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 quart chicken stock
• Several sprigs of thyme tied together
• 1 pinch (or 2 or 3) red pepper flakes
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 4 (or 5 or 6) cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup créme fraiche
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Celtic sea salt

Optional (but oh so necessary) Garnishes:

• Several fresh basil leaves, cut chiffonade-style 
• Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
• Ground pepper (it's such a pretty finish)
• A drizzle of balsamic vinegar (you kinda need this one)

1. Purée tomatoes in blender (a high-speed like a Vita-Mix is best) until thoroughly blended.
2. Heat soup pot with bacon grease until melted and add onion, carrot, and celery.  Sauté until the onions are translucent.  Briefly whisk in arrowroot powder/water mixture.  It might become gelatinous but it will thin out as you continue with the recipe.  Add stock and puréed tomatoes and continue to whisk until it's brought to a boil.
3. Turn heat to medium-low and add thyme sprigs, red pepper flakes, and pepper.  Keep the top open and allow soup to reduce to about 1/3 (about 45 minutes to 1 hour), stirring occasionally.
4. Turn off heat and compost thyme sprigs.  If you don't mind your soup a little lumpy, add remaining ingredients, run an emersion blender through it, and you're good to go.  If you're like my husband and enjoy the bisque as smooth as possible, you may also want to pour it through a sieve, composting any chunks.

Dear Shareholders,

We wanted to remind you of a few things coming up for the CSA!

Please join us for our fall potluck, Sunday October 6th 1- 4 p.m. If you would like to do the corn maze and take a hay ride while you are here, tickets are $5/$10 for a family. Please bring a dish to share (we will have power if you want to keep yours warm) and meet us under the Prairie Canopy tent which is on the far side of the Visitor Center when you arrive in the parking lot. We will have beer, lemonade, water and ice tea as well. We hope to see you all there!

Our much coveted Chatfield honey is available for purchase starting this Thursday (10/3) at distribution. Tuesday members will have the chance to purchase honey as well next week. Pint jars and half pints are available and please don’t worry if we sell out - our bee keepers, Bob and Josie Dolezal will supply us with more!

Ela Farms, our apple growers unfortunately will not have apple seconds available for purchase this year. Because of the late snow in May the apple trees lost their blossoms in those storms making supply limited this year – in fact, it pays to be CSA members - a lot of other vendors have not received any Ela fruit this year because they are saving all fruit for their CSA/markets only.
The Chatfield CSA staff is hoping to make it through the end of October for distributions which would make the 29th and 31st the last day for both distributions. Thanks so much for enjoying the ride with us!

If you have any questions, we have had problems with our CSA email. We apologize if you have tried to contact us and we have not replied. Please send any urgent inquiries to: [email protected] for quicker assistance!

Thanks everyone!

Dear Shareholders,

Happy fall! The CSA is switching gears for the colder temperatures and you'll see more of our cool weather crops at distribution. The summer favorites are winding down, but we'll still have tomatoes, peppers and basil this week.

Important Reminders:

CSA Fall Potluck- The Rain Check Edition: Sunday, October 6, 1-4 p.m.
We were so sad to miss seeing everyone at the potluck last month, but we are going to give it another shot! Join us next Sunday. We will be in the large Prairie Canopy tent on the far side of the Chatfield Visitor Center. Please park in the upper CSA parking lot.

Leaf Drop
Donate your leaves to the CSA!! Our compost pile is pretty heavy on nitrogen rich rotting tomatoes and we would love to adopt your leaves to help balance the carbon/nitrogen ratio. Please bring bags of pesticide/herbicide/fungicide/chemical-free leaves to the Chatfield distribution or to the Fall Potluck.

Permaculture Design Class at Chatfield:
Saturday, October 5, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Learn the principles, ethics and techniques of nature-inspired permaculture from Jim Gibson and Mary O'Brien. Permaculture is a design system based on the joining of indigenous wisdom practices with current ecological activism. Permaculture reminds us that "everything gardens" and teaches a sustainable worldview that presents a systematic approach for gardening, lifestyle and being. Participants will learn how to build soil fertility, integrate systems and work with nature to create more resilient designs.

Pumpkin Festival: October 11-13, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Embrace the fall season at this year’s Pumpkin Festival. This three day event is a great tradition for the entire family where thousands of pumpkins will be ripe for picking in our 10-acre patch. Families can enjoy live music by Stray Dog Colorado, face painting, pumpkin carving demonstrations,  pumpkin bowling and much more. The popular monster hand-building station will return and kids can enjoy pony rides, amusement rides, balloon twists, giant coloring murals and a cookie decorating station.

Produce list for October 1- 3
Rainbow carrots
Watermelon radishes
Red cabbage
Leeks
Red potatoes
Tomatoes
Hot and sweet peppers
Thai basil
Herbs
Weekly bread: garlic rosemary
Fruit share: two bags of pears and appples

Featured recipe: Legim, a Haitian Vegetable Stew
A tropical favorite from seasonal grower, Lena Tenenbaum
I lived in Haiti for about two years and fell in love with the flavorful Haitian stews cooked over charcoal stoves. I often cooked meals with friends and neighbors and there was one dish that always made my palate sing: Legim. I've adapted the recipe, as not all ingredients are available in the U.S., skipped some processed ingredients like tomato paste, and I've made it vegetarian. Traditionally, crab or goat is added to the stew and I would definitely recommend that step for omnivores.
1/2 head of cabbage
1 onion or leek
1 lb potatoes
3 carrots
2 sweet peppers
3 tbsp olive oil
3-5 hot peppers, habanero is best, but even a sweet pepper will do if you don't want spiciness (pepper is left whole, so flavor permeates, but doesn't get very spicy)
2-4 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 can coconut milk
15 whole cloves
8 sprigs of fresh thyme, tied together OR 1 tbsp dried thyme
4-6 cups of stock (vegetable, chicken or beef) add at the beginning OR 2-3 bouillon cubes crumbled, added at end
Salt and pepper to taste

Optional ingredients to add at the beginning:
Green papaya, skinned
Chayote squash, skinned
Spinach or arugula or amaranth
Watermelon radish

Saute onions in oil until translucent in large pot. Cut up vegetables and place in a pot. They will get mashed later, so big pieces are fine. Cover with stock and add tomatoes (if using bouillon cubes, just cover with water for now and add cubes near the end). Boil until veggies are soft. Take out carrots and set aside. Strain out most of the liquid into a separate bowl and using a pestle or masher or forks, mash vegetables until lumpy. Add liquid back in as well as coconut milk. Stick cloves into peppers, keeping them whole, and let them float on top of stew with the thyme for 15 minutes or more. Taste occasionally and remove clove peppers and/or thyme when desired flavor is reached. I've found the thyme flavor boils off, so best to serve shortly after removing thyme. Slice carrots and return them to the pot. Voila! Dinner is ready!

Serve with rice, polenta, or fried plantains. Li gou!! It's delicious!!

Grower’s Perspective- Season Extension
By Lena Tenenbaum
Sing with me folks...."It's the tiiiiime of the seaaaason for....REEMAY!!!" Okay, maybe that wasn't the sixties classic you were expecting but it's the version that's been stuck in my head as the team tucks in all of our crops for the fall. We use a product called floating row cover, or reemay, which is a permeable fabric that allows sunlight and rain in and keeps bugs and cold out. It also shades fragile plants in the high heat of summer.

We create mini hoop houses by pounding pieces of rebar in to the soil and using them to anchor arches of PVC pipe that hoop over the beds. Then we drape the reemay over the hoops and anchor the system with sand bags. I'm still deciding whether this is high tech farming or so simple, it's silly. With lightweight reemay, we get quite a few degrees of temperature protection and with our first light frost already under our belt, we need all the degrees we can get. We also use greenhouse plastic at times, which is impermeable and provides even more protection.

Another trick we have up our sleeves is succession planting. We choose cold-hardy crops like kale, broccoli, cabbage, and chard and seed varieties such as carrots, beets, radishes, and spinach every few weeks so that there's always something ready for distribution.

If you're a hardcore gardener and want to try this at home, a great technique I learned gives up to 30 degrees of temperature protection. Hoop the PVCs over your garden bed, wrap them in holiday lights (non LED), and cover with greenhouse plastic. On cold nights, turn on the lights to heat your mini greenhouse. If it gets super cold, put some space blankets on the plastic, reflective side down, and enjoy greens in 0 degree weather!

Happy fall and may the harvest fun continue!!

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Dear shareholders,

Below you will see our produce list for this week: Sep.23 to Sep.28.

*This list is tenative and subject to change  
 
Tomatoes

Eggplant

Easter egg radishes

Winter squash

Chard

Peppers

Basil

Head lettuce or Salad mix

In addition to the produce, we will be hosting MMLocal at both distributions this week. Please read below for more information:

Eat Local, All Year Round - MM Local Harvest Shares - Sign-ups Available at your next pick up 

Thanks, have a great week everyone!
 
  

 

Dear Shareholders,

The potluk has been rescheduled to Sunday, October 6, from 1 - 4 p.m. We hope you all can make it and for those in Downtown Denver, this date should provide much less traffic! We will be in the large Prairie Canopy tent on the far side of the Chatfield Visitor Center. Please park in the upper CSA parking lot and join us at 1 p.m.

recipes
We are asking that all CSA shareholders send us your season's favorite recipe. We would like to share these tasty ideas with our community and hopefully learn new ways to cook the excellent produce coming out of Chatfield. Who know's - maybe this could turn into a book at some point! 

Our fall crops are defintely in! With giant cabbages and broccolis, the cooler weather has given these crops quite a perk. We will have potatoes next week and continue to offer the warmer weather crops such as tomatoes, peppers, basil and eggplant. We have already begun the harvest process for our winter squash and it's looking like it will be a promising crop this year.

The wild plant class takes place this Saturday at 9 a.m. at Chatfield. 
It is called "Wild Things Walk: Identification and Uses of Wild Plants for Food and Medicine".

link for registration details on all Chatfield CSA classes. 
 
produce list for september 16 - 20

kale
sweet and hot peppers
cucumbers or summer squash
salad mix
easter egg radish
herb             

tomatoes plus $10 tomato bags

broccoli

cabbage 

Yukon gold potatoes

onions
 $10 bags of tomatillos

weekly bread: sourdough

weekly fruit: 2 small bags of pears and apples

featured recipe: BLT salad- we try to feature veggie recipes through our newsletter but this salad is so yummy we had to sneak a little bacon into the mix! Hopefully you can use up any extra tomatoes from last week!

Ingredients

4 heads of baby butterhead lettuce or 1/2 pound salad mix with arugula

8 strips of thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon

4 heirloom tomatoes

8 oz.  bleu cheese, goat cheese or sharp white cheddder

1/2 slice sourdough bread, sauteed in garlic and oil until crisp. Chop into small bits after cooking

*sea salt and coarse pepper a must on the top of this salad!   

Directions

Cook the bacon to a crisp. Drain the excess fat and let the bacon rest on paper towels. While the bacon is cooking, wash the lettuce and tomatoes. Pat dry. Separate lettuce, slice tomatoes and crumble bleu cheese. Arrange on plate. Add warm, crumbled bacon to salad. Serve immediately. You can add a buttermilk ranch or garlic mayo dressing to this salad as well, however if you use bleu cheese crumbles you wil havel a rich flavor already. Add homemade crutons.


We hope you all have a great week and please send us your recipes!
Email us at