Sixth Pickup is Today 7.28.2009

Hello Everyone,

Last night was a late one for us. The green beans are really coming on and you'll find more in your containers this week. We had help yesterday from Jon and Nicole and then Jon again as we washed vegetables last night.

Then, just as we were packing up to leave for the day, the sky split in half and heavy sheets of rain fell without warning. Jon and I were in the pole barn but Brad was caught out in it and was wet through and through within a minute. None of this, even the fact that we got 2 and a half inches of rain in 2 hours, should be conveyed as ingratitude for the rain. We'll take a drenching over a drought any time. In an interesting twist, I drove home, 4.5 miles a away only to find it hadn't rained a drop.

I was worried about the squash blossom experiment last week because those flowers are so hard to pick and keep in good shape until the pick up. We might try them again next week though, for the members who didn't get any last week because I did get some good feedback. From Karen,

Thought you'd enjoy knowing about this - we made the frittata the other night in our big iron skillet, and it was fantastic! Erik and I each had a quarter of it for dinner, and he stuck the other half in the fridge wrapped in parchment paper. The next morning he cut it into three wedges, warmed it up and we made "frittata McMuffins" (without the Canadian bacon) for breakfast - and they were very good!

This week we'll have two guests at Two Leaves and a Bud. The first is David Goforth. He is an agent with the Cabarrus County Cooperative Extension Office. He also grows really great peaches, which he'll have with him at the pick up this afternoon for purchase. They aren't organic but he'll tell you exactly what he puts on them and when. I eat them and so do my daughters.

We will also have Jacob Pless with us. Jacob has been working with Chad VonCannon of Creekside Farms. Chad has been helping to teach Jacob how to process chickens. Here's a bit about Jacob Pless and his project.

Jacob is 13 years old. He is raising chickens as one of his 4-H projects. He read Joel Salatin’s book Pastured Poultry and decided that he did not want to continue to eat factory raised chicken. He wanted to raise chickens on pasture.

He got his brother, Daniel and his dad to help him build a brooder pen and “chicken tractors” in which he could move the chickens across the pasture. He chickens are White Rock Cornish Cross. He has the feed made by a Cabarrus County farmer. The ration consists of corn, soybean meal, oats, alfalfa meal, fish meal, coral calcium and Fertrell Vitamin/Mineral premix. The corn and oats are raised in Cabarrus County. The chickens are moved daily to a new pasture of grass and clover.

The chickens are processed on the farm by a process approved by NCDA, chilled in ice water, bagged and packed in ice. The dressed whole chickens will weigh between 4 ½ and 6 ½ pounds each. The price is $4.00 per pound.

Several of you have ordered chickens from Chad and those will be waiting for you at your respective pick up location. Jacob will have come available on site today for those of you who didn't preorder a bird. Think of it like buying girl scout cookies but from a conscientious young man selling a "home grown" local food with more protein. Chad will continue to work with Jacob for the duration of his project. Chad is also planning to make chickens available throughout much of the year. Here is his announcement about his chicken and some other offerings.

Creekside Farms is pleased to announce the availability of our all natural pasture raised whole chickens. These chickens will be available freshly processed to CSA members each Tuesday for pickup at both locations. Along with the chickens we are pleased to announce the availability of Italian sausage and a fresh pickup of bratwurst and thick cut hickory smoked bacon. All these products are in addition to our selection of beef and pork products and free range brown eggs as shown on the attached price list.

If you would like to have any of our products available for your pickup this coming Tuesday, please call (704-436-5320) or email Creekside Farms (creeksidefarms@ymail.com).


Chad VonCannon
Creekside Farms

Please remember to bring back your containers this week. Last week we did pretty well but the winner of "most dedicated container returner" for the week goes to Jessica. She took her empty container on vacation because she knew she would be driving home directly to the pick up last Tuesday and would need to have it in the trunk. That is thinking ahead!

What will you get this week?

(more) Corn! (Picked it last night and put it on ice)
(more) Green Beans
Swiss Chard (Full Share - you gotta eat your greens to grow up strong)
Straight Neck Squash (last week - maybe)
Patty Pan Squash (yummy strange-looking squash)
Zucchini

You'll get more corn and beans than in previous weeks- that will be the focus of this week. Okra and and green peppers are coming and we're going to take a week off from garlic.

Both recipes this week are from Nicole. Send me green been recipes!

Oh, I almost forgot and how could I? I had the pleasure of eating with the Locavore Wednesday group at the home of Lateef and Melissa this past week. I was wonderful to get to eat with people enjoying all the great food we grew. Good food, good conversation, good company and children running all about the property. This is such a a great weekly happening.

OK recipes.

Vegetarian White Bean and Swiss Chard Soup with Barley

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 fennel bulb, chopped
3 leeks, thinly sliced (white part only)
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
coarsely ground black pepper to taste
6 cups Mushroom broth (can sub vegetable broth)
1 cup Quick cook Barley
1 bunch Swiss chard, coarsely chopped
Parmesan Cheese (optional garnish)

Instructions 1. Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add fennel and leeks; sauté 5 minutes. Add beans and broth. Bring to a simmer. Add Barley, simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in Swiss chard. Cook 10 to 15 minutes, until chard is tender.
Top with grated Parmesan cheese. Serves 8.

SQUASH PIE

2 c. yellow summer squash
1 c. sugar
3 eggs
2 c. Carnation milk
1 tsp. butter and nut flavoring (or lemon extract)
2 (9 inch) frozen pie crusts

Bake pie crusts as directed on package. Cook squash until tender and drain. Blend squash, eggs, milk and lemon extract in blender. Pour into cooled pie crust. Bake pies at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Fifth Pickup Is Today 7.21.2009

Hello CSA Members,

Today is our fifth pickup. Be sure to visit your pickup location today between 4:30 and 6pm. And don't forget to bring your containers. Last week we broke our streak of excellent success with container return rate. But hey, we're all human. No worries just remember to bring them back today. Thanks to several of you who forgot to return them last Tuesday but actually returned yours during the week.

We had a little rain on Friday, actually quite a thunderstorm. They typically come from the east and if we're working on that side of the farm we can sometimes see the rain sweeping down the hill that borders the property in that direction on the other side of Cold Water Creek. When we see the rain coming down the hill that means if we hurry back to the barn immediately we're likely to get only somewhat wet. If we hesitate we're going to get drenched. Friday when the storm blew in we were showing a CSA member family around the farm. We spent the storm in the pole barn talking about food.

Speaking of tours, we will definitely be inviting all our CSA members out to the Elma C. Lomax Incubator Farm later in the year so you can see where all your food is grown. In the meantime if you want a tour I recommend next Wednesday, July 29th. Slow Food Charlotte, Know Your Farms, Cabarrus County and the Cabarrus County Cooperative Extension Office are hosting an open house. I've attached a flyer to this email. Please join us and lots of other people excited about local food and the leadership role Cabarrus County is taking in this region regarding local food.

We would like to thank Colleen and Thomas for working hard with us last Friday and on short notice. They helped us get the harvest in. Also thanks to Jon, Nicole and Joyce for working with us during the past week. Jon has been out twice now to help work on the farm, proving it's really not that bad. We'll organize a bigger group effort real soon so more of you will have an opportunity to join us.

There's a new movie out that documents the trouble we're facing regarding where our food comes from and how we eat in America . It's called Food Inc. You can see a trailer by clicking here. If you have three minutes I suggest you watch it. Go ahead, I'll wait........

OK now if you'd like to see the whole movie you'll have to hike all the way over to Park Road in Charlotte. Or we could all send an email to Stephen Morris at the Gem Theatre.

smorris@gem-theatre.com

Let Stephen know we sure would appreciate it if he would run Food Inc. in our community.

By the way we have to take a week off from corn. We're between plantings right now but it will be back very soon, perhaps as soon as next week. The good news is that we have,


Garlic!!!
Green Beans (They will be labeled with an G)
String Beans (They will be labeled with an S)
Swiss Chard
Straight Neck Squash (regular squash and not quite so much this week)
Patty Pan Squash (yummy strange-looking squash)
Zucchini
Cucumbers (The last of the them- this time I'm serious)
Onions
Squash Blossoms

We're getting to that time of the year when we're going to have more and more vegetables (okra and pappers real soon and tomatoes too I promise) available for our weekly deliveries. This means everyone won't get everything on the list each week. We'll do our best though to make sure that if you don't get something this week, you get it next week.

Alright on to the recipes. See you late today.

Aaron



Sautéed Swiss Chard



Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Pinch of dried crushed red pepper

2 large bunches Swiss chard, stems trimmed, leaves cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Remember to remove the rib from the center of the leaf as this part might be bitter during the summer



Preparation
Melt butter with oil in heavy large pot over medium-low heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chard; stir to coat. Cover; cook until tender, stirring

Bean and Swiss Chard Soup


Ingredients:

3 tbsp. virgin olive oil
1 pound yellow onions (about 4 medium)
2 long ribs celery, with leaves if possible, strings removed, diced
1 small carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, green germ removed, diced
1 1/2 pounds Swiss chard leaves, stems trimmed, rinsed, and coarsely chopped
1 pound dried cannellini beans
1/4 cup Nunzio's Tomato Sauce
2 small dried bird's-eye peppers, crushed, or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Fine sea salt
1 medium red onion, sliced paper-thin


Method:

1. Begin by preparing the beans. Pick over the beans, removing any pebbles or other debris. Place the beans in a heavy saucepan and add water to cover by two inches. Bring to a boil; remove from the heat, and let sit, covered for 1 hour. Drain, return the beans to the saucepan, and add fresh water to cover by 3 inches. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, reduce the heat so the beans are simmering, and cook, partially covered until they are al dente, tender but slightly firm, about 45 minutes. Drain the beans so they do not get overly soft, reserving the cooking liquid.

2. Heat the oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat and add the diced onions, celery, carrot, and garlic. Cook, stirring, onions are golden and translucent and the celery is tender, about 20 minutes.

3. Add the chard, stir, cover, and cook, until it has softened, about 15 minutes.

4. Add the beans with their cooking liquid and enough water just to cover the vegetables. Add the tomato sauce and peppers and stir. Season lightly with salt, cover, and bring to a boil, raising the heat if necessary. Reduce the heat so the liquid is boiling gently and cook, partially covered until the vegetables are soft but the beans aren't mushy, about 45 minutes. Adjust the seasoning and serve with the red onion slices alongside for dinners to add to the steaming soup if they prefer.

Squash Casserole


Ingredients:

2 pounds yellow squash, cut in 3/4-inch cubes

1 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup saltine crackers, crumbled

1/2 cup milk

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped, or buttered bread crumbs



Method:

Place the squash, onion, salt, and pepper in a large saucepan. Add a small amount of water. Cover and cook the squash until tender, stirring occasionally and adding more water if necessary. Drain the squash and onions; return to the pan and stir in the butter. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper to your taste.

Butter a 1 1/2-quart baking dish well. Stir the crumbled crackers into the squash mixture, and turn into the buttered casserole. Pour the milk over the squash and sprinkle with the cheese and chopped pecans or crumbs. Bake at 350°, uncovered, for 20 minutes, until the milk is absorbed and the squash casserole is bubbly. Serve hot. Serves 4 to 6.

Squash Blossom Frittata

Ingredients:

3-4 blossoms
1-2 baby squash
4 eggs
Dash of milk
2 green onions
Asiago cheese
Chopped parsley and snipped chives (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste



Method:

1. Pick 3 to 4 blossoms per person and 1 or 2 baby yellow or green summer squash. Rinse blossoms well and drain on paper towels.

2. Beat 4 eggs with a little milk. Add fresh chopped parsley and snipped chives, if desired. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. In a non-stick pan, saute a little butter and cook 2 green onion and thinly sliced baby squash just until soft. Then quickly saute the blossoms for about 30 seconds and remove from pan.

4. Pour egg mix into pan, sprinkle and arrange the onions, squash and blossoms on top and cook over low to medium heat until almost set. Sprinkle with Asiago cheese and put under the broiler until lightly puffed and browned.

Battered Squash Blossoms
(With or Without Stuffing)


The Batter:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fat-free chilled milk, beer or water

Cheese-Mushroom Stuffing:
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
2 tablespoon mushrooms, finely chopped
1 tablespoons fresh basil or parsley, minced
large squash blossoms, washed
Canola oil for frying

Method:

1. Prepare the batter first. Sift together dry ingredients, then whisk in milk, beer or cold water until smooth. Cover and set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Leftover batter can be stored for up to two days. If it is too thick after refrigeration, add a few drops of water to return to original consistency.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing. In a bowl combine the ricotta cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, mushrooms and basil. Open the blossoms and spoon about one 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture into the center of each. Avoid overfilling the blossoms. Twist the top of each blossom together to close. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

3. Pour the oil into a skillet to a depth of 1/2 inch. Heat over high heat until a small cube of bread dropped into the oil turns golden brown within seconds.

4. Briefly dip each stuffed blossom into the batter, then carefully slip into the hot oil. Cook until golden on all sides, about three minutes total cooking time. Add only as many blossoms at a time as will fit comfortably in the skillet. Transfer with a slotted utensil to paper towels to drain briefly.

5. Sprinkle with salt, if desired and serve immediately.

Friday Labor

While this won't be as well organized as future 'On Farm Projects' we do have a need for some labor on the farm this Friday, July, 17th. This is sort of last minute and I know many of you work on Friday so no pressure. Also this is work best done by adults or young adults. We'll try to schedule some work for the kiddies soon.

If anyone is interested in a few hours of work on Friday let me know by giving me a call:

704/305.6654

Thanks,

Aaron

Elma C. Lomax Incubator Farm Tour

Forth Pick Up Is Today 7.7.2009

Hello CSA Members (and a few other folks who follow our progress)

Today's update will be a little shorter than usually because, well, there's lots of hay to make and not a cloud in the sky. Also I am including *a lot* of recipes because so many of you have been cooking great meals with your food and have sent me recipes.

I'm also sending lots of recipes because we have a few more weeks left during which squash will be included. Squash Fatigue Syndrome (SFS) is a common alignment in our area during this time of year. And while it's symptoms may seem unpleasant there is not a single confirmed fatality from the illness. It is treatable and even curable with the right recipes. A sample of these healing SFS treatments follows at the end of this email.

I wanted to let you know that some of our members are having a weekly meal together called Locavore Wednesday. They get together and cook lots of yummy stuff from the CSA and then share the meal together. By the way a "Locavore" is someone who tries to eat locally. I just thought some of you other locavore CSA members might like this idea and start your own weekly meal together.

About the containers... last week 100% of you returned your containers!!! This is unheard of in the world of CSAs. You are making us very proud. Joe couldn't find his container so he actually brought us another container that is much nicer than the ones we bought for this season. Now that is dedication. Please don't forget to bring them all back again this week. Keep the streak alive!

On the farm this week we got the pole barn ready (well it's not quite ready yet) for the new post harvest handling equipment that's coming very soon. We are very thankful for all the work Cabarrus County is doing to help take this next step at the Elma C. Lomax Incubator Farm Park.

Several people have asked so I should mention that we will be asking for volunteers to help around the farm very shortly. Some of you are very eager and we are almost ready to put you to work. Hopefully I'll be able to spend some time planning in the next few days and send out an email invitation to participate later this week. In the meantime sharpen your hoes and break out your ugly straw hats.

Ford Craven was nice enough to send out an email about my appearance last week on the Charlotte Talks radio program. It was a lot of fun. Earlier this year I published a book, coauthored with a friend who lives in central New York. It called A Nation of Farmers. I have copies locally available if anyone is interested but you people are already doing it- you're already eating more locally by being members of our CSA and supporting local farmers so you might not need to read it. And besides, as Eric has pointed out on several occasions it doesn't have very many pictures.

This week you're getting:

Corn
(More) Green Beans
Swiss Chard
Straight Neck Squash (regular squash)
Patty Pan Squash (yummy strange-looking squash)
Green Zucchini
Yellow Zucchini (yes that's really a yellow zucchini)
(The last of the) Cucumbers (for now)
Garlic Scapes (the very last)

Attached is more great information on what to do with all this great food. Thanks again to Debbie Bost for providing it. We are lucky to have such a great Cooperative Extension Services office here in Cabarrus County.

OK, on to the recipes for treating SFS...

Patty Pan Lasagna from Barbara

Ingredients:

1 large Scallop (Patty Pan) Squash, sliced in 1/4 inch pieces
Salt to taste
8 ounce jar Spaghetti Sauce
8 ounces 2% Fat Cottage Cheese
1/2 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Method:

Lightly salt patty pan squash slices to reduce water in squash and let sit for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Drain squash.

Lightly spray 1 1/2 quart square baking dish with cooking spray.

Please 1/3 of sliced squash in baking dish.

Pour or spoon 1/3 of spaghetti sauce on top of squash.

Top with 1/3 cottage, mozzarella & Parmesan cheeses.

Repeat the squash, sauce, and cheese layers 2 more times, ending with cheeses.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Serves 6


Summer Squash Pizza Crust from Katie

Ingredients:

4 cups finely shredded zucchini or yellow summer squash
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
salt to taste


Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Once zucchini or summer squash has been shredded (I recommend a food
processor) lightly salt the squash and transfer it to a strainer. Let
stand 15 to 30 minutes and press all remaining liquid out of squash.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine squash, flour, Parmesan cheese,
mozzarella cheese, eggs, pepper and salt. Mix well.

Spread the mixture into a greased and floured jelly roll pan. Bake for
25 minutes in the preheated oven.

Remove the crust from the oven and change the oven's temperature to
broil. Brush the top of the crust with oil, and then broil the crust
for 3 to 5 minutes until the top is lightly browned.

Allow the crust to cool slightly and slide spatula underneath all edges
and under the middle. Place a large baking sheet over the top of the
crust and gently flip the crust over so that the bottom of the crust is
now facing upwards. Because it can be difficult to flip the crust
smoothly, it may be necessary to cut the crust in half to facilitate
the flipping of the crust. If you want to omit the flipping stage, that
is okay, but the crust won't be as crunchy.

Brush the top of the crust with oil and broil for another 3 to 5
minutes until the top is browned. Cover with toppings as desired.

FOOTNOTE:

This will be a non-traditional crust, as it will be somewhat soft.
Depending on your toppings, you may need to bake it at 400 degrees F
(200 degrees C) for a few more minutes to heat toppings and further
reduce sogginess.

Chocolate Chip Orange Zucchini Bread from Katie


Ingredients:

3 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon orange zest
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Method:


Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices.


In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, and
continue beating until well blended. Stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini,
nuts, chocolate chips, and orange rind. Blend in sifted ingredients.
Turn batter into two greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 50 minutes, or until bread
tests done. Remove loaves from pans, and cool. Chill before slicing.



Sissy’s Squash Casserole from Teri

Ingredients:

7 cups cooked yellow squash, mashed/drained (have added pattypans & zucchini as well)
1 large onion, chopped (I also boil w/ squash to diminish oniony flavor, especially if freezing casserole)
3 eggs, beaten
¾ cup mayo
1.5 oz pkg Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1½ cups grated cheddar cheese
24 saltine crackers, crumbled
Salt/pepper to taste (we use Jane’s crazy mixed up salt)
Bread crumbs (Panko works great too)

Method:

Mix eggs, mayo, HVR dressing mix together. Stir into squash onion mix while still warm. Add cheese, cracker crumbs, salt/pepper. Pour into 2 shallow baking dishes. Top with bread crumbs. Bake 325 for 30 minutes or until warm & bubbly.

Optional: remove one from oven a bit early, cool & freeze for those winter months when you’ll be missing fresh squash…:)

All measurements approximate…can half for 1 casserole


Green Beans, Feta & Pecans from Londa

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Method:

COOK green beans in large saucepan of boiling water, about 4 minutes. Drain, immerse in cold water, drain, and pat dry.

COMBINE olive oil, dill, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk to blend.

PLACE beans in a shallow serving dish. Toss with dressing.

SPRINKLE with pecans, red onion and feta, toss and serve.

Serves 4 - 6

Cook's Notes: I used the 1 1/2 pounds of green beans called for in the original recipe and found there was more than enough vinaigrette, feta, red onions, etc. that I could have used a full 2 pounds. I also squeezed the juice of 1/2 lemon over the dish before I served it as I think it needed something to brighten it up a bit.

I toasted the pecans in a 350 degree oven. I placed the pecans in a single layer on a sheet pan and cooked them almost eight minutes, checking them and stirring them frequently.

Third Pick Up Is Today 7.7.2009

Hello CSA Members,

It is Tuesday and that means we will see you this afternoon between 4:30 and 6:00pm for our third pick up of the season. Brad will be the Elma C. Lomax farm on Atando Road and Eric and Aaron will be at Two Leaves and a Bud.

First some bragging- not about us but about you. Last week we had only one member forget to return his container!!! Great job. Now that may not sound like much of a feat but it is. In preparing for our CSA program I talked with several other farmers who have CSA programs. They all said it was really hard to get people to bring back their containers. I've talked to several of those farmers this week to brag and say how many of our members did in fact bring their containers back.

As for the one member who forgot, I have already given him a hard time in private so I won't publicly call him out this in this email. If he forgets again however...

We are strongly urging you to try cooking with everything in your container. Even if you think you don't like Swiss Chard I'm guessing there's a recipe out there that could use it in a dish you'd find delicious. However, if after trying your best you still find that you can't use something in this week's container we're going to try an experiment.

There will be a Swap Table at both locations this week. If you don't want your delicious cucumbers grown with loving care and hard work by your trusty farmers you can leave them on the table for someone else who does love cucumbers. If you see something yummy on the swap table and you want to eat it, take it. There are just too many members for us to customize each container but this Swap Table idea may help members work together to get more of what they want.

"Enough already," you're probably saying, "What are we getting this week." We've been behind this spring on several items but I am more than please to announce that this week we are right on time with something. We have corn!!!

Also last week only full share members got green beans. It wasn't that full share members are more important, it's just that we didn't have enough to put green beans in every box. If we had, every member would have gotten like 4 green beans so we made the decision to put the beans in full share member containers and make it up to the half share members later in the season. (Actually Eric made the decision so you can direct your comments to him ;-) The good news is that this week everyone gets at least a pound of green beans. Now do your best rain dance so we get some more in future weeks.

In the box this week:

Corn !!!
Green Beans
Swiss Chard
Straight Neck Squash
Patty Pan Squash
Yellow and Green Zucchini
Cucumbers

One more item for you. Chad VonCannon from Creekside Farms will be at Two Leaves and a Bud this afternoon. He asked me to send the following message to you.

See you later today (with your containers)

Aaron


From Chad...

Dear CSA Members,

Good afternoon from Creekside Farms. Just a reminder that Creekside Farms will be at the downtown pickup location this week. We will have a selection of our products at the pickup location once again this week. If you would like to ensure that you get the product that you desire please follow this instructions below and use our order form.

I have attached an order form for individuals to use for ordering our products. This is in an attempt to make purchasing our products as easy as possible and to coordinate the pickup of our products with your vegetable pickup. We ask that you either call our email us with your order by noon on Tuesday. Your order will then be ready for you at your pickup spot. Please be sure to include on the form or when you call, both your name and a way to get back in touch should we have questions for you. If we are at your pickup location you can pay us then. If we are not at you location, a total price will be on your package and we ask that you mail us a check.

Please feel free to give us a call with any questions that you may have.

Chad VonCannon
Creekside Farms

I almost forgot, Randy Fisher from Cackleberry Farms will be at Two Leaves and a Bud this week and at the farm on Atando Road next week. He operates a local dairy and will have his cheese, butter and yogurt for you to sample and purchase.

Also some recipes- thanks and keep them coming. Remember you'll miss zucchini this winter.

Zucchini "Crab Cakes" from Mary Catherine.

She said her girls loved them

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of zucchini, grated
1 cup of bread crumbs, fine
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons of butter, melted
1 tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning
4 tablespoons of flour
1 small onion, chopped fine
Canola Oil and butter, for frying

Method

Mix all ingredients together until well blended. Shape into patties. Fry in a mixture of half oil/half margarine until golden on each side. Turn only once. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot, with cocktail sauce on the side.



Butterscotch Malt Zucchini Cake from Mitzi

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup (local) butter
1/2 cup oil
2 (local) eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4 tablespoons malted milk power
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups grated zucchini
1/2 cup nuts
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 13 X 9 inch cake pan or 10 inch Bundt
Beat brown sugar, butter, oil and eggs in large bowl at medium speed. Add buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until well combined.

Combine flour, milk powder, baking soda, salt, baking powder and nutmeg in medium bowl. Stir into creamed mixture. Stir zucchini, nuts butterscotch chips and white chocolate chips into batter.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 40 to 45 minutes (60 or 65 minutes for Bundt pan) or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.