Frog Holler CSA
Share #5, July 17, 2010

in the box:

Celery - new
Eggplant - new
Potatoes - new
Scallions
Carrots
Beets
Curly or Russian Kale
Cabbage
Asian Greens - Pac Choi or Tatsoi
Salad Mix or Lettuce & Chard

Warm, well downright hot, weather and abundant moisture are bringing the crops along nicely. Unfortunately, the weeds are also coming along for the ride! After the short dry spell, the steady supply of thunderstorms has made it much wetter than usual. Those with lettuce heads in their share will see where some lettuce stems have been feeling a bit soggy. Same with the eggplant. But there is still lots of deliciousness in those items, so just cut those little spots off and enjoy! We are happy to have a crop of lettuce despite the sizzling temperatures of late.

Here's a morning photo at Frog Holler - before the temperature headed up toward the nineties!Hope you're all finding good ways to stay cool!

Cooking during summer heat is always better when it's simple. Try this no-fuss salad and minimize your time in the kitchen.

Roasted Beet Salad

1 bunch beets - trimmed and washed (save the greens to cook later)
2 Tbs. olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 cups mixed greens (salad mix or lettuce and chard)
3 Tbs. balsamic vinaigrette
Feta cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss together beets, olive oil and garlic in baking dish. Bake 40 minutes, or until beets are tender. Cool.
Remove skin from beets and slice into rounds.
Toss greens with vinaigrette; add beets and sprinkle it with feta, if you like.

or try a sweet variation on a classic summer picnic salad:

Confetti Slaw

¼ small head green cabbage cut in thin strips (about 2 cups)
2 carrots, peeled and grated ( about 1 cup)
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup peanuts
½ cup yogurt, vanilla
1 Tablespoon orange juice

Combine cabbage, carrots, raisins and peanuts in mixing bowl. In small bowl, stir together yogurt and orange juice. Before serving, add yogurt mixture to cabbage and combine thoroughly.

Farm news: Turns out Frog Holler CSA member Stephanie Feldstein is the editor on animal welfare and wildlife issues for Change.org. When she read in the first CSA newsletter about Frog Holler's historical connection to animal rights, she decided to write about it for her blog. It was posted last weekend and Stephanie's articles, as well as articles throughout the Change.org site, are informative and thought-provoking. Thank you, Stephanie!

Flower Power! The Frog Holler farmers send their first organic bouquets to market this Saturday. Intern Angie Martin has taken an interest in developing a cut-flower option at Frog Holler. Angie, Kat and Chrissy made our first bouquets today!!

And pssst! if you read this newsletter before picking up your share, wish intern Kat Curtis a Happy Birthday when you are at the stall. Kat loves the market and was willing to work right on her birthday; she 's the one with the blonde hair and big smile. (And remember, a little birdie told you!) More on Kat in a future newsletter, but for now, we bring you our first intern feature:

Meet the Interns: Dorothy Christopher

Dorothy Christopher is a Chicago native who graduated from Earlham College in 2008 with a degree in Biology. Dorothy comes to Frog Holler from Athens, Georgia where she worked in a research lab before deciding she wanted to take her biology interest out to the fields.

Dorothy has enjoyed seeing the entire life cycle of a vegetable, from seeding and transplanting in the greenhouse, to planting, weeding, weeding some more :-), and finally harvesting in the fields. And then of course eating on the table!

Dorothy has also found it interesting to see how the different vegetables appear - from shiny eggplant hanging from the bottom of little eggplant bushes to the zucchini that start to emerge from behind a big squash blossom. And Dorothy has also gained insight into more variation in a plant's harvest possibilities. F'rinstance, although potatoes are classically considered fall storage vegetables and function quite well in that way, Dorothy was pleasantly surprised to harvest the new potatoes in July and even put them in your share this week!

We appreciate Dorothy's perceptions and perspective on the natural world, and we also appreciate Dorothy's baking skill! If you were lucky at the 4th of July party, you had a chance to sample this scrumptious dessert that Dorothy made. Cherries are plentiful now so it's a good time to make:

Cherry Cornmeal Upside-Down Cake
Adapted from Bon Appetit, June 2008

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
3 cups whole pitted fresh Bing cherries or other dark sweet cherries (about 21 ounces whole unpitted cherries)
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal (preferably stone-ground medium grind)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, separated
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Combine 1/4 cup butter with brown sugar and vinegar in 10- to 11-inch ovenproof skillet with 2-inch-high sides. Stir over medium heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Increase heat to high; add cherries and bring to boil. Remove from heat.

Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat 1/2 cup butter in large bowl. Add sugar; beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with milk in 2 additions each, beating just until blended and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another medium bowl until foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat until whites are stiff but not dry. Using rubber spatula, fold 1/4 of whites into batter to lighten slightly. Fold in remaining whites in 3 additions (batter will be thick). Spoon batter over cherries in skillet, then spread evenly with offset spatula to cover cherries.

Bake cake until top is golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool in skillet on rack 5 minutes. Run spatula around edges of cake to loosen. Place large serving platter upside down atop skillet. Using pot holders or oven mitts, firmly hold platter and skillet together and invert. Leave skillet atop cake 5 minutes. Remove skillet. If necessary, rearrange any cherries that may have become dislodged. Let cake cool at least 45 minutes. Cut cake into wedges and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Have a great week everyone!