burgeorganicfarm

2013 CSA Signup now open!

corymoss22 — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 19:27:29 +0000

Welcome to Burge Organic Farm!

As winter is now underway, we turn our thoughts in to planning for the coming spring. We are excited to continue our CSA into it’s third year, and we plan on expanding our production to allow more members than ever before.

If you already know you would like to join this season’s CSA, click HERE . If you need some convincing, keep reading!

Each week you will receive 8-10 items that represent the height of seasonal quality. Each box is designed to provide a family of three with fruits and vegetables for a week, with a few supplements needed from time to time. Whole shares come every week, while Half shares are delivered every other week.

Although we can’t always estimate what Nature has in store for us, below is a list of what you can expect with each season.

Spring: Strawberries, lettuce, arugula, sugar snap peas, asparagus, cabbage, turnips, scallions, broccoli, carrots, beets, spinach, wild edibles, collards, kale, Asian greens, spring herbs, and fava beans.

Summer: tomatoes, summer squash, okra, eggplant, sweet and spicy peppers, beans, orchard fruits(pears, plums, figs), Burge Heirloom Garlic, blackberries, melons, onions, wild edibles, cucumbers, beans, flowers, summer herbs, southern peas and corn.

Fall: carrots, winter squash, cauliflower, broccoli, orchard fruits (Asian persimmon, apples, pomegranate),beets, spinach, sweet potatoes, beans, cabbage, scallions, lettuce, salad greens, collards, chard, kale, grits/cornmeal/popcorn, radish, cucumber, fennel, garlic and turnips.

Winter: Collards, apples, kale, arugula, spinach, turnips, radishes, chard, fennel, spring onions, sweet potatoes, winter squash, broccoli, cauliflower, canned goods, cabbage, radicchio, endive, escarole, salad greens, pumpkins, and more!

How it works:

By signing up for the CSA, you are agreeing to let us farm for you for the whole season. You are providing us working capital at the beginning of the year to insure the farm’s financial and operational sustainability (thank you!). We deliver weekly to the following areas, at the following times, and you pick up your box according to your selected location.

Tuesdays at the farm (Mansfield) 2:00pm-7:00pm

Tuesdays at Covington YMCA (Covington) 3:00pm-7:00pm

Wednesdays at Northside United Methodist Church (Buckhead), 4:00pm-7:00pm

Wednesdays at The Cathedral of St. Philip (Buckhead), 4:00pm-7:00pm

Wednesdays at The Lovett School (Northside) 3:00pm-7:00pm

Wednesdays at Shields Meat Market (Emory) 4:00-7:00pm

For additional information, please read our CSA primer

Let us be your Farmer!

2012 CSA Signup now open!

corymoss22 — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:50:53 +0000

Welcome to Burge Organic Farm! Fall has arrived, and with it, another exciting CSA season begins. We have a lot of great food in store for you this year, and can’t wait to share it with you! We hope you can join us this season, if you have any questions, just let us know.

If you already know you would like to join this season’s CSA, click HERE . If you need some convincing, keep reading!

Each week you will receive 6-10 items that represent the height of seasonal quality. Each box is designed to feed a family of four fruits and vegetables for a week, with a few supplements needed from time to time. Whole shares come every week, while Half shares are delivered every other week.

Although we can’t always estimate what Nature has in store for us, below is a list of what you can expect with each season.

How it works:

Tuesdays at the farm (Mansfield) 2:00pm-7:00pm

Tuesdays at Square Perk (Covington) 3:00pm-7:00pm

Tuesdays at LA Fitness (Conyers) 3:00pm-7:00pm

Wednesdays at Northside United Methodist Church (Buckhead), 4:00pm-7:00pm

Wednesdays at The Cathedral of St. Philip (Buckhead), 4:00pm-7:00pm

Wednesdays at The Lovett School (Northside) 3:00pm-7:00pm

Wednesdays at Shields Meat Market (Emory) 4:00-7:00pm

Wednesdays at Farmer D Organics (Toco/Briarcliff)

To sign up, click http://burgeorganicfarm.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/2012-sp-csa-sign-up.pdf

For additional information, please read our CSA primer

Let us be your Farmer!

Check us out on Perennial Plate!

corymoss22 — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:44:11 +0000

Last fall we were fortunate to take part in an incredible farm-table experience right here at our farm. We had a wonderous collection of chefs, farmers, merry-makers and eaters. it was a meal to remember. Check out the video, it says it all:

Dinner at Burge

CSA customers take note: We will be offering a Spring and a Fall CSA Customer Appreciation Dinner that will be the same type of experience- come join us at the farm!

New Pickup Locations Added!

corymoss22 — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:10:15 +0000

Hey All,

Just a quick annoucement that we have just added three new pickup locations to our Spring CSA Program. Now you can pick up wonderful, fresh produce at the following establishments:

-Square Perk Cafe (On the square in Covington)

-LA Fitness (Hwy 138 in Conyers)

-Farmer D Organics (Corner of Lavista and Briarcliff)

We can’t wait to start the season!

Fall CSA Week 13

corymoss22 — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:38:29 +0000

Greetings Farm Friends!

The farm at this point of the year is bursting with green cover crops and neatly tended rows (well, kind of neat) of greens and roots. Fall is still mystifying to me as a farmer. During spring, you plant and everything grows. You can set your watch by it. For the fall, vegetables seem to take on a personality of their own, deciding to grow at their own individual pace. Radishes stay true to the calender, Collards grow as fast as you can cut them, but broccoli languishes and teases you for weeks on end… Despite having to tend to a large family of unruly vegetables, it’s hard not to be content seeing the farm continue to produce such wonderful food after so many months of weeding, watering and (more than a little) cursing. I’ve been quite proud of what we’ve been able to scratch out of the dirt this season, and I hope we’ve been able to fill both your bellies and minds with something unique and tasty.

I can hardly believe it, but our fall season is all but at a close. For several of you this is the last week, and I want to say how much I appreciate all of your comments and support. No season on a farm such as ours is without challenges and travails, but throughout it all you have been present with open minds and a healthy appetite for adventure. I hope you have made some fond food memories along the way, and most of all I hope you are able to continue supporting local sustainable agriculture- We need more folks like you.

Important Announcements

We have prepared a quick, 10 question survey about the fall season, and we would really appreciate your feedback. You can find the link HERE . Your responses will help shape our program in the future, so please let us know what you think!

Also, If you are interested in getting the occasional box over the winter, you can sign up for our Winter CSA Email List. We have a ton of beautiful produce loaded up in our three hoophouses including arugula, beets, carrots, spinach and turnips. We also have 1000 stubborn broccoli plants that we planted for the fall season CSA that will be ready on their own time between now and Christmas (please don’t make me eat them all…). If you are interested in getting additional veggies this winter, you can sign up HERE

In addition, we are also making preparations for the Spring season (we’ve planted over 5,000 strawberry plants already!), and as current CSA members, you have priority on signing up. If you want to go ahead and get on the list for Spring (we will start on mid-April) you can do so HERE . We are planning on expanding the program next year, so if any of you find the drive to your pick up location a little too far, now is the time to let us know and we can work on putting together a closer pickup. We hope you can join us for what should be an incredible spring!

In The Box

We are sending some of you fine folks out in style this week. The first fall leeks are ready just in time, and we also have some lovely large rutabagas from our neighbor, Crystal Organic Farm.

-1# Apples (Beech Creek Farm)

-1 bunch Leeks

-1 head Endive

-1 bunch Swiss Chard

-1# Rutabaga (Crystal Organic Farm)

-2 green Bell Peppers

-2# Sweet Potatoes

-1# Winter Radish

-1 head Kohlrabi

-1 bunch Italian Parsley

Recipes and Ideas

Rutabaga Puree

2 pounds rutabaga, peeled and cut into cubes
1 clove garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 -2 tablespoons skim milk
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground white pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

Fill a stockpot with cold water and add 1 teaspoon salt. Place the rutabagas and garlic in the pot and bring to a boil. Cook until very tender, between 30 to 45 minutes. Drain well and then place in the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth. Return the pureed rutabaga to the pot and simmer over medium-low, stirring continually until the remaining liquid evaporates. Add the butter, skim milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, ground white pepper and thyme, stirring until well combined. Serve warm.

Kohlrabi Au Gratin

1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon butter
1 lb kohlrabi, trimmed and peeled
coarse salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup grated cheese (combine Parmesan with Emmentaler)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Rub the inside of a small, shallow ceramic casserole with the garlic. Grease it with the butter. Meanwhile, slice the kohlrabi very thinly. You may want to first cut it in half from end to end. Lay the kohlrabi slices in the casserole overlapping like shingles, seasoning them with salt as you go. You may make two or three layers. Cover with the cream and shake the casserole a little to distribute the salt. Lay the casserole on a baking sheet and place in the oven. As the cream browns, break it up and push it under the cream underneath, scraping any brown bits from the side of the casserole and incorporating those as well. Continue doing this for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the kohlrabi is perfectly tender and the cream has been almost completely absorbed. Sprinkle the cheese over the gratin and continue baking until the cheese is completely melted and lightly browned. Serve hot.

Leeks Pangrattato

Involved, but worth it!

5 Leeks, big, with outer leaves trimmed back, washed
olive oil
3 knobs butter
3 cloves garlic, peeled & finely sliced
3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
1 white wine, small glass
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
1 pints chicken stock
12 slices Prosciutto, thin
16 ounces lasagne sheets, 2 X 8oz packs
flour, for dusting
2 handfuls Parmesan, freshly grated (plus extra for serving)
1 handful dried porcini mushrooms, small handful
½ piece ciabatta bread, preferably stale, cut into chunks
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 sprigs fresh rosemary

Halve the leeks lengthways and cut at an angle into 1/2-inch slices. Heat a wide saucepan, add a splash of oil and a knob of the butter, and when you can hear a gentle sizzling add the sliced garlic, thyme leaves and leeks. Move the leeks around so every piece gets coated. Pour in the wine, season with pepper and stir in the stock. Cover the leeks with the slices of Prosciutto, place a lid on the pan and cook gently for about 25 to 30 minutes. Once the leeks are tender, take the pan off the heat.

To make the pangrattato, whiz the mushrooms and bread with a pinch of salt and pepper in a food processor until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Heat a generous glug of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the garlic cloves and the rosemary and cook for a minute, then fry the breadcrumbs in the oil until golden and crisp. Keep shaking the pan — don’t let the breadcrumbs catch on the bottom. Drain on kitchen paper, discard the rosemary and garlic, and allow the breadcrumbs to cool.

Bring a big pan of salted water to the boil. Lay the lasagna sheets on a clean working surface and sprinkle with a little flour. Place the sheets on top of each other and slice into 1/2-inch strips. Toss through your fingers to shake out the pappardelle, then cook in the boiling water for 2 minutes or until al dente.

Remove the Prosciutto from the saucepan, slice up and stir back into the leeks. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in the Parmesan and the rest of the butter. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water, and add the pasta to the leeks. Add a little of the cooking water if need be, to give you a silky, smooth sauce. Serve quickly, sprinkled with some pangrattato, extra Parmesan and any leftover thyme tips. Serve the rest of the pangrattato in a bowl on the side.

Fall CSA Week 12

corymoss22 — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:37:26 +0000

Hello Happy Eaters!

Greetings from the farm. Today might have been the most beautiful day of the year here at Burge. The weather makes an easy target for complaints but every now and then, nature bestows on us such a wonderful day that we are tempted to forgive her of her foul temper. When the weather is this nice, you don’t even have to try to get things done, they just seem to happen. We spent today harvesting for the CSA, pulling out the spent summer crops of eggplant, peppers and tomatoes, planting the last of the strawberry crop, and giving a troop of Girl Scouts a tour of the farm. If it could only be like this once a week every week of the year, I believe we could grow enough produce to feed most of Atlanta.

We really relish these Indian summer days, because we know from experience that the door is closing on the active growing season. Soon we will be sitting by a fire looking back at the year and trying to make sense of the chaos that currently surrounds us. But for now its tally ho into the fray- we know we have a small envelope, but we are doing our best to fill it with all we can. The veggies on the farm are doing a wonderful job soaking up the diminishing rays of the sun, and we have another beautiful box planned for you this week. Greens and roots abound and with the nice weather, more will continue to come in. I had hoped to be doling out tons of carrots, beets and broccoli by this time of the year, but alas the unusually hot and dry August has set us back a few weeks. This causes no small amount of consternation to this farmer, who remembers laboriously setting out all of his plans in spreadsheets and picking the perfect time and amounts to plant only to be beset by the wanton fates of weather. Fortunately, I’m well equipped with an inordinate amount of stubborn, and so I am able to use these small defeats as fuel when it comes time to plan for next year. Carrots planted in July didn’t work? Next year, lets try June!

Take Care and Eat Well,

Cory

In The Box

-1# Apples

-1 bunch Chard

-1 bunch Hakurei OR Scarlet Queen Turnips

-1 head Romaine Lettuce

-1 head Escarole

-1 Large African Squash

-3 Green Bell Peppers

-1# Tomatoes OR 1# Zucchini OR 1# Cucumbers OR 1 bunch Baby Carrots

- 1 bunch Baby Fennel

-1 sprig each Basil and Sage

Recipes and Ideas

Pasta with Roasted Winter Squash in Browned Butter, Sage, and Hazelnut Sauce

3 pounds winter squash

2 T extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

1 pound uncooked orecchiette pasta (or other short, ridged pasta)

10 oz baby spinach or Chard

8 T unsalted butter

3 T chopped fresh sage

1/2 cup coursely chopped, skinned hazelnuts, toasted

1 cup freshly grated gouda or parmesean

Preheat oven to 400F

Cut the squash into 3/4 inch cubes and spread them on a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle with oil. Roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, cover to keep warm, and set aside. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to the pot. Add the spinach and toss with tongs so that the heat of the pasta wilts the spinach. Add squash and toss gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper, cover with foil, and set aside. Melt the butter in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Let the butter cook, gently swirling the pan often, until the butter is covered in white foam and begins to brown in the center, 2-3 minutes. Lift the pan off the heat and continue swirling until the butter is deep golden brown throughout and smells nutty and toasty. Drop in the sage and the nuts, which will bubble furiously at first. As soon as the sizzling stops, pour the browned butter over the pasta and squash and toss gently to combine. Sprinkle with the cheese and serve immediately.

from The New Southern Garden Cookbook by Sheri Castle. This is our new favorite cookbook and is written with southern CSA customers in mind.

Braised Chard with Raisins and Feta

1 (1-pound) bunch Swiss chard
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons dried golden raisins, currants or cherries
1/8 cup wine
1 1/2 ounces feta, crumbled (1/3 cup)

juice from 1/2 lemon

Cut stems and center ribs from chard, discarding any tough parts near base, then cut stems and ribs crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Coarsely chop leaves. Cook garlic in oil in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until pale golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add chard stems and ribs, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes. Add raisens and cook, stirring, until plump, about 1 minute. Add chard leaves and wine and increase heat to moderate, then cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until leaves are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in feta and pine nuts and lemon.

Fall CSA Week 11

corymoss22 — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:36:18 +0000

Hello Fellow Veggiephiles,

Hands are numbing around the farm as chilly mornings await us each day. Despite some light frosts our fall tomato plants are just beginning to produce and with a little luck, we will have enough for everyone next week. The first few heads of broccoli are also starting to crown, so it shouldn’t be much longer…

We’re running a little behind this morning, so I’m going to save the lengthy reflections for next week. Thanks as always for making us your farm!

Enjoy!

-Cory

In The Box

-1# Apples

-1 head Komatsuna OR 1 bunch Choy Sum (Chinese Sprouting Broccoli)

-1 small bag Spinach

-1 double-sized bunch Hakurei Turnips

-1 head Lettuce

-1 head Escarole

-2# Sweet Potatoes

-1# Winter Radish

-1 bunch Beets OR 1# Tomatoes OR 1# Zucchini OR 1# Cucumbers

Recipes and Ideas

Mixed Root Vegetable Salad

2 small apples, peeled and sliced

1 bunch salad turnips, tops removed, sliced thin

2 small heads fennel, tops removed sliced thin

2-3 winter radishes, sliced thin

for the dressing:

1/4 cup orange juice

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon-style prepared mustard
2 teaspoons honey
1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Combine dressing ingredients and whisk until emulsified, pour on to salad and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Serve as is or on a bed of greens.

Caribbean Sweet Potato Salad

2 large Sweet Potatoes or Yams, steamed until cooked, cooled, cut into ¾-inch pieces
1 cup Corn Kernels, frozen or canned
1/4 cup Red Onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/4 fresh squeezed Lime Juice
2 teaspoons Prepared Mustard, preferably Dijon
3 tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 clove Garlic
1/2 teaspoon Grated Ginger
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1 cup Cucumber Pieces, pealed and 1/2 inch diced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped Peanuts

sweet red chili sauce (optional)

Add sweet potatoes, corn and onion to large bowl. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lime juice, mustard, brown sugar, garlic, and grated ginger. Add dressing to potatoes. Toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Add cucumber and peanuts just before serving.

Fall CSA Week 10

corymoss22 — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:35:15 +0000

Happy Halloween!

I can’t believe we’re already at week 10! It seems like last week we were nervous about being able to provide enough food for everyone, and now we have too much produce to fit in the boxes. While many area farms and markets are getting ready to shut down for the winter, we are just starting to hit our stride with delicious fall produce. Collards, turnips, radishes and salad greens are making a strong showing, while impossibly dense plantings of fennel, radicchio, and even a last ditch planting of cucumbers fill our two hoop houses. Even though it’s still pretty mild outside, the bugs have slowed down and the plants in the field are enjoying a pressure-free growth spurt. With a little luck, and an occasional rain, we should see some great harvests of late fallfavorites such as carrots, beets and broccoli in the coming weeks.

As the days turn shorter, plant growth slows down to a crawl and we begin to have time to reflect on the season and plan for winter projects. We’ve certainly come a long way this season, but we have even bigger plans for next year. One of the biggest jobs we have on our plate is the construction of some new hoop houses. We were fortunate to find some used hoop houses for sale and we decided to buy seven of them. I’m not sure that I was in my right mind on that day, but they are being delivered tomorrow and we are excited, if a bit terrified. Over the next few weeks we will slowly begin the process of converting open field into over an acre of enclosed space. The good news is that when everything is finished, we will be able to grow a tremendous variety and amount of food year-round. The bad news is that we have to take the term “off season” out of our vocabulary…

This is the time of year that we turn to the orchard to get it ready for a long slumber. We have run the weedeater so long that we still feel like we’re vibrating when we go to sleep at night. We will spend a few long days with pruners in hand, gently trimming the trees to produce a desired shape. Plum and peach trees are trained to look like a large basket, which helps them produce ample amounts of fruit but maintain enough airflow to prevent rot. Pears and persimmons are grown to resemble the coned shape of a Christmas tree, with every main branch weighed down with string to encourage a 45 degree angle to the trunk (any less and the branch will grow straight up and won’t produce a single fruit). On top of that this is the time of year when young male deer are getting their antlers and they are looking for a sparring partner. Young orchard trees are an easy target. Last year we lost around 20 trees alone to their hooved machismo. I’m hoping that a healthy amount of rotten egg spray all around the orchard will deter them this year, but only time will tell. The bright side of all of this work is that if we prepare correctly this fall, this coming spring should reward us with the first substantial harvests of most of our orchard fruits- a very exciting prospect!

We’ve put together a frightfully good box this week (ok, sorry- no more of that), we hope you enjoy!

Take Care and Eat Well,

Cory Mosser

In The Box

-1# Apples

-2# Sweet Potatoes

-1 bunch radishes

-1 bunch Chinese Sprouting Broccoli (Choy Sum)

-mixed sweet and hot Peppers

-2 heads Fennel

-1 bunch Japanese Salad Turnips

-1 bunch Collards

-1 medium Pumpkin

Recipes and Ideas

Chinese Broccoli and Shrimp Stir-Fry

-6-8 oz. choy sum or Chinese leafy greens, chopped in half
-Some sliced carrots
6 medium-sized shrimp (peeled and deveined), or thin sliced chicken or tofu, or all three!
1 inch ginger (peeled and sliced thinly)

4 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons cooking oil

White Sauce:

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce or to taste
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon corn starch
6 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine, or white cooking wine
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

Rinse the vegetables with water and drain the water dry. Mix the white sauce ingredients and set aside. Heat up a wok and add the cooking oil until it’s smoking hot. Add ginger, stir-fry until light brown or aromatic. Add mushrooms and shrimp and do a few quick stir until the shrimps become half-cooked. Add vegetables into the wok and stir quickly. Transfer the white sauce mixture into the wok and continue to stir-fry until the sauce thickens. By then, the vegetables should be perfectly cooked, but not overcooked.

Braised Collards

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1 leek or 1 small onion, chopped
1 bunch collard greens, stemmed and chopped (rinsed well first of course)
½ cup vegetable or chicken broth
1-2 teaspoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon mild vinegar: champagne or cider

Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in large sauce pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onion until soft, 3-4 minutes. Add half of the greens, broth, sugar, salt, and cayenne. Cover and cook until greens are beginning to wilt, about 1 minute. Stir in remaining greens and cook, covered, stirring occasionally over med low heat until quite tender, about 30 minutes. Remove lid and cook over med high heat until liquid is almost evaporated, about 5-10 minutes. Off heat, stir in butter, vinegar, and serve.

Easy Pumpkin Bread

3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups sugar

Mix and make a well in the center
Add to the center along with the pumpkin and stir just until all is mixed in:

2 cups mashed/pureed pumpkin or winter squash
1 cup oil
4 eggs
2/3 cup water
chocolate chips and/or walnuts, optional

Pour into 1 large or 2 small oiled bread pans (or muffin tins). Bake at 350 for one hour. (Or less for muffins.)

Fall CSA Week 9

corymoss22 — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:34:19 +0000

Hello!

So sorry about the late email! It’s been so long since I’ve written directly to you, I almost forgot… Seriously though we barely got the veggies out of the door in time this week, so I had to forgo my normal correspondence to take care of some items around the farm. Better late than never, right?

I’m pretty sure we just experienced our last warm spell earlier this week, and a frost is just around the corner. It doesn’t seem to matter how long I’ve been doing this, the cold always creeps up on you. I know it’s coming but it seems to stay locked in a distant corner of my mind until one day I look at the 10 day forcast and see lows in the 30′s, and then it’s real.

Mid-October is ‘go time’. The farm is swimming in all imaginable shades of green, ranging from the blueish tinge of broccoli to the dark waxy sheen of collards to the pale tint of turnips. Almost everything is planted up and our thoughts turn to protecting and harvesting the crops in the ground. With half of our workforce gone now, we are scrambling to get everything picked on time. We still have to plant garlic and strawberries, finish a hoop house and find a way to sell the thousands of pounds of pumpkins that we still have in the field. At least we’re not bored…

This week we have a nice green box to offer you to match the shades of our fields. Some of the items (endive and escarole) may be unfamiliar, but with a little research and an exploritory attitude, hopefully you will find some new favorites. Endive and Escarole are both in the chicory family, and they are noted for their refined bitter taste. They are both at home in a winter salad with a creamy type dressing. Or simply eaten dressed with olive oil and balsamic. The heart of the escarole (the frilly leaved item) is particularly suited for salads with a wonderful crisp texture and a balanced bitter-sweet flavor. Endive and escarole can both be sauteed as well, and they can be used to make a delicious soup (see recipe below).

Also this week you will notice a cute little pumpkin in your box. We experimented this year with a new variety called Orange Bulldog which ended up being a huge success. Most of the pumpkins you buy for halloween are actually from the northeast, because they have much lower incidence of disease than we do down here. That’s why when you visit a pumpkin patch in the south, it’s mostly a bunch of pumpkins stacked up in a parking lot. The University of Georgia released this variety last year after traveling to the Amazon and finding a native squash and using the germoplasm to create a disease resistant pumpkin that is great to eat too. We couldn’t be more excited!

Take Care and Eat Well,

Cory

In The Box

- 1# Apples

- 2# Potatoes

- 1 Small Bulldog Pumpkin

- 1 head Pac Choi

- 1 head Escarole

- 1 head Endive

- 1 bag Arugula

- 1 bunch French Breakfast Radishes

- 1 bunch Basil

Escarole and White Bean Soup

1 head escarole (1 pound), tough ribs discarded and leaves thinly sliced (8 cups)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1 large celery rib, cut diagonally into 1/8-inch-thick slices
2 carrots, cut diagonally into 1/8-inch-thick slices
2 cans chicken broth or vegetable broth
3 cups water
1 can white beans such as cannellini, rinsed and drained
grated parmesan

Cook escarole in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 5 minutes, then transfer with slotted spoon to a large bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. Drain escarole in a colander, pressing gently to remove excess water. Heat oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion, garlic, celery, and carrots, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes. Add chicken broth and water and bring to a boil, then add escarole and beans and simmer, uncovered, until carrots and celery are tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with parmesan.

Fall CSA Week 8

corymoss22 — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:33:03 +0000

Dear CSA members:

This week Luca, one of the interns here at Burge, will be writing the newsletter for us.

Hi everybody, I can hardly believe it but this is my last week here at Burge. What was to be an 8 month long journey will not end this Saturday because, even if I’ve enjoyed this experience for many reasons and now I feel a slight sadness, I’m ready to follow my own path with my so called suitcase full of knowledge into what will surely pertain to my future projects. Farming has given me new hopes and a totally new perspective on life, along with a healthier way of approaching nature and a purified vision of the world.

Speaking about wonderful experiences here at Burge I would like to tell you about an event that took place here at the farm this last Sunday. The event was called “Kudzu Supper Club”, a collaboration between the farm manager Cory Mosser and Brady Lowe (a great food lover who organizes dining events around the country) together with Chef Andrew from Burge and Chef Nick from Rosebud, a restaurant that frequently features farm to table menus in Atlanta. The aim of the dinner was to promote good food and wine. It was an occasion to commend the changing food culture in America.

I’ve witnessed first hand during this time that more people are starting to realize how important it is to have a good, reliable source for our food. I’m grateful to all the people that work hard (farmers, chefs, etc.) to provide a diverse range of food that is grown and created with love so that people can taste the difference between a commercialized food and something unique, making this change in America’s food tradition possible. I think it is extremely important to support them as what they do will have an effect on the well being of our future generations.

Being an Italian who’s always been exposed to genuine homemade food, coming to America not even one year ago, was a sort of shock. What surprised me more than anything was the lack of a widespread passion for food. That’s why I feel so lucky to have been part of this operation here at Burge where I was able to find people that carry that passion with them and are able to live by it each day of their lives.

I would like to say thanks again to each one of you who’s supporting the organic farm project here at Burge and I hope that, like me, you’re still enjoying every bite of it!

Take care

Luca

In The Box

- 2 lbs Sweet Potatoes

- 1 lbs Green Beans

- 3 Apples

- 1 bunch Hakurei Turnips

- 1 Lettuce

- 1 Garlic

- 1 Komatsuna

- 1 bunch Beets

- 1 sprig of Basil

Recipes and Ideas
Sweet Potato and Apple Hash with Poblanos

1 lb of sweet potatoes
1 lb of apples, you can use any kind you like but the recipe seems to work best with Fuji, Gala, or Macintosh
4 poblano peppers (you can substitute jalepenos for a spicier recipe or green bells if you don’t want it to have some heat)
a sprig of thyme
olive oil
enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of a skillet

Peel and grate both the potatoes and apples and place in a big mixing bowl together. Cut the peppers. I personally prefer to have them minced so that I don’t find myself with a mouth full of fire after eating a random chunk of poblano. Now put the peppers into the same bowl as the apples and sweet potatoes. Crush some thyme in your hands and sprinkle into the bowl. Mix the veggies thoroughly and add just a 4 second pour of olive oil into the bowl for lubrication and to allow the veggie to hold the thyme.

Heat up a skillet with the vegetable oil on medium high heat. Pour just enough of the hash mixture to cover the skillet’s surface and allow to cook until crispy on the edges. Make sure to check to see that the sides aren’t burning. Once the mixture is toasted on the entire bottom surface, carefully flip it to the other side. When the other side is done, take the hash mixture off the heat and finish it for 8 minutes in the oven. Serve immediately with a dash of sea salt on top. You can also top it with sour cream and crushed black pepper.

Green Beans with Turnips

1½ tablespoons unsalted butter
1 bunch baby turnips,cut in quarters
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 shallots, minced
¾ pound green filet beans (haricots verts), ends trimmed
1 tablespoon minced Italian parsley

Directions

Melt butter in a large skillet over moderately low heat. Add turnips, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat with butter. Cover and cook, shaking skillet occasionally, until turnips are just tender and lightly browned in spots, 10 to 15 minutes. Uncover, add shallots and saute 2 minutes to soften the shallots. While turnips are cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add beans and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well, pat dry, then transfer to skillet with turnips and toss to coat with seasonings. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. (Green beans need a lot of salt.) Add parsley, toss again and serve.