June 8 or 11

Box contents:  2# new red potatoes, 1 head of napa cabbage, 1 bunch of lacinato kale, 1 bunch of red beets, 1 bunch of garlic scapes, 1 bunch of red scallions, 2 zephyr and 1 patty pan summer squash.

Storage:  everything needs to be stored in the refrigerator.  Potatoes were dug yesterday and will be best eaten this week.  If you think you'll keep them longer than this week before eating, transfer them to a paper bag.
Try making a slaw with the napa cabbage or enjoy it stir fried.
Napa Cabbage Slaw Recipe form Epicurious

Bulgur Wheat and Roasted Baby Beets and Their Tops
from Root to Leaf
1 bunch of small beets with tops
1 cup bulgur
2 cups vegetable broth or water
Kosher salt
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, diced
freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon
4 ounces of fresh cheese, such as chevre, crumbled
Trim the tops from the beets and reserve.  Wash the roots and roast.

Wash the tops well and separate the leaves from  the stems.  Reserve the leaves.  Slice the stems crosswise to make small dice, and set aside.

Place the bulgur in a medium bowl.  Pour the hot broth or water over the bulgur and add a pinch of salt. Cover and let sit until the grains swell and become tender, 15 to 20 minutes.  Taste for seasoning and set aside.

In a medium skillet over medium high heat, warm 1 T olive oil.  Add the shallot and beet stems and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until they are tender, 2 to 3 minutes, and add the beet greens.  Using tongs, turn the leaves several times until wilted.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Slice the roasted beets into quarters and set aside.  ( You can peel the beets if you want but the skins are very tender and full of nutrients.)

In a large bowl, mix together the cooked bulgur and sauteed vegetables and stir until combined.  Taste for seasoning.  Toss the roasted beets with the lemon juice, salt, and 1 T olive oil.
Here I deviate from the recipe.  It says to divide everything among 4 bowls and layer and top with cheese.  I combine all the parts in 1 bowl and toss together and top with cheese.

We had a much needed rain over the weekend that has everything growing well...including the weeds.  The first snap beans are starting to bloom.  The cucumbers are about to be in full swing.  There are little green tomatoes on the vines...here comes summer!

June 1 or 4

Box contents:  1/2# spinach, 1 head of romaine, 1 bunch of kale, 1 kohlrabi, 1 green garlic, 1 bunch of scallions, 1 bunch of radishes, 1# broccoli florets.

Storage:  All will keep best in the refrigerator in bags with air squeezed out, preferably in a drawer.

We had a special guest helping us wash vegetables yesterday.  Maddy Miller, who worked with us all last season, came to visit for one day.  It was a pleasure for all of us and most for the kids!

What's for dinner this week:

sauteed spinach and green onion quesadillas

steamed kale with lemon and green garlic dressing

thinly sliced radishes and kohlrabi dipped in hummus

raw broccoli salad

RAW BROCCOLI SALAD from Smitten Kitchen
2 heads broccoli (3/4 to 1 pound each)
1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds
1/3 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup buttermilk, well shaken
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
Lots of freshly ground pepper

Trim the broccoli, and chop it into large chunks; then cut each chunk into thin slices. Cut the stems into thin slices, then stack the slices and cut them in the other direction, into thin matchsticks.  Cut the florets vertically into thin slices, slicing them from the stem up to the floret top.  Toss the sliced broccoli with the almonds and cranberries.  In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk, mayo, vinegar, sugar, and salt until smooth.  Stir in the onion.  Let the onion marinate for about 10 minutes in the dressing to mellow it. Pour the dressing over the broccoli mixture, and add a generous amount of black pepper.  Stir the salad until the broccoli is evenly coated wiht the dressing  Serve immediately, or keep covered in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.

Yields about 8 cups slaw, serving several people. 

Maddy, Addiebelle, and Cyril cleaning red scallions

May 25 or 28

Castelline harvesting in the early morning light

Box contents:  1/2# spinach, 1/2# lacy arugula, 1 bunch of garlic scapes, 1 head of green bibb lettuce, 1 small bunch of chinese celery, 1 head of frisee, 2 pints of strawberries.

Storage:  Berries will keep best in refrigerator, unwashed.  A market customer told me she keeps hers in a tupperware container with a paper towel on the bottom and between layers of berries with the lid on and can keep them a week... All other vegetables in the box will keep best in a bag with the air squeezed out in the refrigerator.

The cloth bags we ordered should be here next week...until then, you can bring your own bag and leave the empty box with us or please remember to bring back your box from last week.

The exchange box:  If you have something you don't want in this weeks' box, you can exchange it for something you do want in the exchange box.  Please DO NOT bring back things you didn't eat last week to exchange for something this week.  

Frisee is a very mild member of the chicory family.  We eat it raw in salad.  It is also good added to soup in the last few minutes or sauteed with onion and garlic and eaten with beans.

The arugula has a lacy appearance because we didn't get the bed covered with row cover and there are some insects that like it as much as we do.  It has been washed twice and tastes great!  You can eat it as is in salad or wilt it in some warm pasta or make Green Goddess Dressing and eat it over your spinach.

Green Goddess Dressing

1 to 2 cups arugula leaves

1 to 2 chinese celery bunches

2 to 6 garlic scapes

1 T lemon juice

1 T champagne vinegar

1 to 2 tsp salt

1/2 to 1 tsp black pepper

1 anchovy or 1 T anchovy paste (optional)

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Combine everything in a blender or food processor.  Blend until smooth.  Store in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to use.  ( Use within a week).

Frisee and Martine in the distance

May 18 or 21

Please return your empty wax box and paper berry containers!
Box Contents:  1 head of romaine lettuce, 1 head of red butterhead lettuce, 1 bunch of siberian kale, 1 bunch of garlic scapes, 1/2# of broccoli, 3 pints of strawberries.

Remember to use the exchange box if you'd like.  Ask Martine at market today or Anne at Saturday market where it is.

Storage:  Refrigerator for everything.  Lettuces, kale, and broccoli in a bag with air squeezed out.  Garlic scapes are fairly tough but will last longer if you keep them in the fridge.

The Siberian kale makes great kale chips, great massaged kale salad, and is yummy in white bean soup.
Garlic scapes are what would become the flower of the garlic plant if left on.  We remove them so that the plant focuses its energy on developing the bulb.  It is a happy coincidence that they are delicious!  If you like to grill, try them on the grill with a little olive oil and salt and pepper brushed on.  They make a great pesto. And, if you have a food processor, you can make a garlic green goddess type dressing that is a great spring treat.
Recipe for Garlic Scape Pesto on Epicurious

Now that we are past the frost free date for this area, we are feverishly planting peppers, tomatoes, eggplant.  We are preparing beds for okra and sweet potatoes.  The winter squash seeds are germinating.  The potatoes are making little new potatoes under the soil.  Exciting times!

First CSA box of 2016!

PURPLE KOHLRABI

Box contents:  3 pints of strawberries, 1 pound of chinese broccoli, 2 purple kohlrabi, 1 bunch of kale, 1 head of green butterhead lettuce, 1 green garlic.

Storage:  strawberries should be kept, unwashed, in the refrigerator until you're about to eat them.  Everything else will keep best in the refrigerator in bags with the air squeezed out, preferably in one of the drawers.

Chinese broccoli is a tender, mild broccoli that is best cooked whole with stem and leaves as it is all good and good for you.  We usually steam it lightly and add a little lemon juice or vinegar, olive oil, and salt.  It is good warm or chilled.

Green garlic is a mild form of the dry garlic most commonly used.  It is still tender enough to use all parts. You can use it anywhere you would use cured garlic.

Here is a recipe from Steven Satterfield's cookbook Root To Leaf 

Sauteed Kohlrabi

If kohlrabi is cooked just until tender, it can be delightful, but if its cooked too long, it tastes and smells like overcooked broccoli stems.  If any leaves happen to be attached, chop them up and add to the pan at the last minute.  Do not overcrowd the pan.  It may be necessary to cook the kohlrabi in batches, depending on the size of your skillet.

1 T unsalted butter

1 T extra virgin olive oil

2 kohlrabi, peeled and cut into 1/8 inch thick slices

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

juice of 1 lemon

juice of 1 orange

In a wide skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil.  Add the kohlrabi slices in a single layer across the bottom of the pan and season lightly with salt and pepper.  Cook on one side for 1 minute.  With tongs, turn each piece over and cook on the opposite side for 1 minute.  Then add the lemon and orange juices and cook until the kohlrabi pieces are tender but still have a little crunch.  Remove from the pan and repeat if cooking in batches.

Some logistical information:

We haven't gotten the cloth bags yet, so this week and probably next also, you will take the box and return it empty the following week.  Eventually, when we have the bags, you will be responsible for bringing the bag each week and unloading your box into the bag.  

If you haven't paid yet, please bring a check with you this week when you pick up.  If you are picking up at Catawba, please mail your check.  There will not be anyone from the farm at that pick-up.

If you are picking up at Catawba, you go to the bartender and tell them your picking up a CSA box and give them your name.  They will get it from the cooler for you.  Please get in touch with us if you have any issues at Catawba.  The bartender is doing us a favor and cannot help with issues you have related to the box. Also, YOU MUST get your box on Wednesday at Catawba.  They do not keep them in the cooler for you longer than that.  They do not have enough space to store them overnight and we do not go back there and get boxes that weren't picked up.

If you are picking up at market, look for Gaining Ground Farm and speak with Anne or Martine.  We will get you your box and show you where the exchange box is.  If you don't make it to market to get your box, we bring it back to  the farm and put it in our cooler.  It is up to you to arrange to come get it at the farm or have it brought to the Saturday market.

If you have someone picking up your box for you, PLEASE be sure they know our farm name and your name.  There are many farms doing CSA pick-up at market and it is confusing if they don't have the proper information.

THE BEST WAY TO GET IN TOUCH WITH US IS:  email:  gainesground@gmail.com OR call or text Anne at:  828-545-2362

If there are other people sharing your share with you that would like the weekly emails, please let me know!

Thank you Thank you Thank you!   We are excited to begin again and thank you for joining us!  Cheers!

CHINESE BROCCOLI

CSA taking members. Next farm walk around April 3 at 3pm.

Our CSA is still taking members!  Contact us with any questions or to reserve your space.  Next meeting will be April 2 at 3pm.  Come out walk around the fields that grow your food and we will go over details of this seasons open farm days, monthly potlucks, and pick up details. 

CSA Information and sign up for 2016

     CSA Starting to fill up, Meeting is not required to reserve your spot.  But we still would love to see you!

 
We offer a wide variety of vegetables each week that are all grown in accordance with national organic standards.  More info about our farm is on our website: www.gaininggroundfarm-nc.com
  
Examples of weekly boxes, Regular and Small, from years past are posted as you scroll through this blog.

Hey All Happy New Year!  We have been placing orders with seed companies, lining up fertilizer and potting soil shipments, and reviewing this past season.  We have been critical through the years of so many aspects of our business of growing food.  The way we have been operating the CSA has been a main topic of conversation this fall and winter.   The CSA model is very important to our farm and we want to improve on it.  It is a commitment on so many levels for both the farmer and the member.  We are changing some things about the membership this coming season in an effort to emphasize the Community aspect of CSA.  We have done well in the past with receiving your financial Support, and we have been getting better over the years with the Agriculture part of it.  We are changing other parts of the CSA in order to free us up from some of the stresses of paperwork so that we can focus on growing great food.

     2016 CSA Changes:

We want you to feel a connection to our farm and us a connection to you.  We feel that the best way to achieve this is by sharing the physical place/space with you.

All members are strongly encouraged to attend one meeting held at the farm before signing up.  We will have a meeting once per month until all of our shares are accounted for.  These meetings will be structured in order to keep it short and sweet, then with time to walk around. The first meeting will be at 3pm sharp on Sunday, January 24th.   Location of the meetings is 222 Sluder Branch Rd. (same location as the party last fall).  Many of you have been to the farm in the past, many have not.  A lot has changed and we want to show you where and how your food is grown.  We are proud of what we are doing here and want you to experience it as well.  The meetings will be a chance for us to hear concerns from members, show you around the farm, and meet face to face before the season gets started.

We will be opening the farm up to members every Thursday afternoon May thru October so that you can feel free to come out, bring a picnic and walk around the fields.  In order to make this work as a positive experience for all of us, we need you to come to one of the meetings and get an orientation. Come and get to know the lay of the land because we won't be available to show you around every Thursday.  (Thursday afternoon our interns have off so often it is the day when both Aaron and I are doing tractor work and catching up.) 

The 4th Thursday of every month we will be hosting a potluck.  Come and lets share the food that we collaborated on producing together.  
  
We will not be doing substitutions, or packing special boxes this year.  Instead, we will have an exchange box at market where members will be able to take something they want more of, and leave something that they do not desire.  Those of you with food intolerance/allergies will need to choose a market pick-up in order to utilize this system.

There will be 1 share size this year.  Slightly larger than the small share of years past and a bit smaller than the regular size.  This means that all boxes will include 7 to 10 types of vegetables per week picked at the height of their flavor and freshness.  The CSA will still be 22 weeks and the cost will be $375 ( $17/week).  This means that your box will contain at least $17 worth of veggies and often a good deal more.

We hope theses changes are something that works for you and that we can continue to grow food for you.  We hope that these changes make for a more meaningful experience for all of us.

CSA SHARE OPTIONS
We offer 1 share size for the 22 week main season share:

Full Season Share:
The box will include 7 to 10 types of vegetables each week.  It is difficult to say for certain how many people this will feed because everyone's eating habits are different.  Generally though, this will feed 2 adults and a child most of your vegetables for a week.
It last 22 weeks starting May 11 and ending October 5. (Saturday pick up starts May 14 and ends October8.)

Full season share $375

Extended Fall Share:
This share provides 5 boxes from October 12 thru November 9.  Fall crops include carrots, beets, leeks, spinach, greens, sweet potatoes, shallots, winter squash, Irish potatoes.  Most of the veggies in these boxes will store into the holiday season.  You can sign up for this now or in early fall.

Fall share: $120

Pick-Ups:
Wednesdays:
River Arts District Market, (All Souls Pizza Parking Lot, Clingman Ave)) 2 to 6 pm.
Catawba Brewery, (32 Banks Ave Downtown Asheville) 4 to 10 pm

Saturdays: (limited number of pick-ups)
North Asheville Market, (UNCA Campus) 8 am to noon

Payment:
     If you pay in full by February 15 with a check, you receive an early bird discount.  The price with discount is $360.

     Down payment of 1/2 the total is due upon registration.   Please include a contact number, email addresses for share members who want to be on the mailing list, a snail mail address, and pick-up preference with your payment!
Payment can be made by check to:

Gaining Ground Farm,
298 Sluder Branch Rd.
Leicester NC 28748


Thanks for supporting our farm and please feel free to email Anne at gainesground@gmail.com or call at 828-545-2362 with any questions!
                                       
                                     www.gaininggroundfarm-nc.com