This is our first week for CSA harvest pickup but we can still make room for a few additional shareholders.  To become a CSA shareholders call the farm (908-359-5218) to register.  This way you will not miss being a part of a great harvest season.

If you are not able to become a shareholders, we do have our own fresh veggies in the store starting this week!

We will also have the fresh Long Valley Dairy milk in the CSA shareholders ordered during the CSA Kick off Day.

We do have a few extra bottle in the store for those that did not order their milk, but quantities are limited.  If you would like milk, place an order for the next delivery.  We place the order to the dairy farm on Monday evenings, and the milk arrives at our farm Thursday morning.

You won’t get any fresher than this great milk from Long Valley dairy!

We also have pictures of our new Kitchen on facebook. (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.355976631123334.81165.123020157752317&type=3)

It’s in Phase 1, we are very excited as each step gets us closer to a huge new 5,000 sq. ft. kitchen.

ALSO, we have an opening for a weekly delivery truck driver to deliver Griggstown products to NYC  Tuesday and Thursday mornings starting at 5:00 am and every other Wednesday to Philadelphia.  Interested candidates should call George at 908-359-5375.

CSA News

Our First Harvest!!!

Vegetables:

- Collards

- Kale

- Broccoli/Cauliflower

- Boc Choi

- Lettuce

- Swiss Chard

- Scallions

- Arugula

- Radishes

Herbs

- Thyme

- Sage

- Oregano

Chuck’s Corner

Tips For Cooking Kale

By: Kristen Oliveri

Cooking kale is just as easy as sautéing some spinach or broccoli. Kale, a leafy green in the cabbage family, is just a little longer than spinach leaves but for some reason people are intimidated by cooking it. It’s similar to other veggies like cauliflower, collard greens and Brussels sprouts. A few tips may come in handy when it’s time to tackle a kale-filled meal.

Kale tends to be a little chewy, so you’re going to want to cook it thoroughly to avoid that consistency. When you’re beginning to prepare the kale for cooking, cut out the center stalks in the middle. Just cut them out, and discard the pieces. Then it’s up to you if you want to sauté or boil your kale. For either method, it’s best to tear the kale into small pieces to make it easier to work with.

Sautéing Kale
Sauteing kale is similar to sautéing spinach. In a frying pan over low heat, add in some olive oil and a few pieces of chopped garlic. As that is cooking, toss in the small bits of kale. Add in a few tablespoons of vegetable oil, which you can just eyeball. Next, it’s time for some spices. Try a pinch of crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. You can also add in a little spot of dry red wine. Combine the ingredients with a spatula, and cook until the kale is a bright green color.

Boiling Kale
Another alternative is to boil the kale. Fill a pot with ½ cup of water and ½ cup of vinegar. Add in the kale, and bring the water to a boil. Then drain and remove from the heat. In a bowl, add in some of your favorite spices. The crushed red pepper, salt and pepper are great, but you can also experiment with a touch of soy sauce or some of your other favorite spices and toppings.

More Tips
Kale is especially good in the cooler months when it’s at its freshest. Kale is a perfect side dish to go with a nice roasted chicken or prime rib. You can even sauté kale with pancetta or bacon for a richer flavor that might remind you of collard greens.

Food of the Week: Kale

Kale or borecole is a form of cabbage (Brassica oleracea Acephala Group), green or purple, in which the central leaves do not form a head. It is considered to be closer to wild cabbage than most domesticated forms. The species Brassica oleraceacontains a wide array of vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, and brussels sprouts. The cultivar group Acephala also includes spring greensand collard greens, which are extremely similar genetically.

Featured Recipe

Baked Kale Chips

Courtesy of Lucy DelRey

These are a low calorie nutritious snack.

Like potato chips, you cannot stop at just eating one.

They are great for parties and a good conversation topic.

Our first weeks harvest:

Vegetables:

- Collards

- Kale

- Broccoli/Cauliflower

- Boc Choi

- Lettuce

- Swiss Chard

- Scallions

- Arugula

- Radishes

Herbs

- Thyme

- Sage

- Oregano

Tips For Cooking Kale

By: Kristen Oliveri

Cooking kale is just as easy as sautéing some spinach or broccoli. Kale, a leafy green in the cabbage family, is just a little longer than spinach leaves but for some reason people are intimidated by cooking it. It’s similar to other veggies like cauliflower, collard greens and Brussels sprouts. A few tips may come in handy when it’s time to tackle a kale-filled meal.

Kale tends to be a little chewy, so you’re going to want to cook it thoroughly to avoid that consistency. When you’re beginning to prepare the kale for cooking, cut out the center stalks in the middle. Just cut them out, and discard the pieces. Then it’s up to you if you want to sauté or boil your kale. For either method, it’s best to tear the kale into small pieces to make it easier to work with.

Sautéing Kale
Sauteing kale is similar to sautéing spinach. In a frying pan over low heat, add in some olive oil and a few pieces of chopped garlic. As that is cooking, toss in the small bits of kale. Add in a few tablespoons of vegetable oil, which you can just eyeball. Next, it’s time for some spices. Try a pinch of crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. You can also add in a little spot of dry red wine. Combine the ingredients with a spatula, and cook until the kale is a bright green color.

Boiling Kale
Another alternative is to boil the kale. Fill a pot with ½ cup of water and ½ cup of vinegar. Add in the kale, and bring the water to a boil. Then drain and remove from the heat. In a bowl, add in some of your favorite spices. The crushed red pepper, salt and pepper are great, but you can also experiment with a touch of soy sauce or some of your other favorite spices and toppings.

More Tips
Kale is especially good in the cooler months when it’s at its freshest. Kale is a perfect side dish to go with a nice roasted chicken or prime rib. You can even sauté kale with pancetta or bacon for a richer flavor that might remind you of collard greens.

In memory of our service men and women, the farm will be closed Monday May 28^th.

Be certain to stock up on all your BBQ needs before the weekend.

The CSA kick-off meetings were held Thursday, 5/17 and Friday, 5/18 and were a complete success. We received numerous comments regarding how informative and enjoyable the events were.  Make sure to check out all the pictures on Facebook!

There are still some openings to become CSA shareholders so if you would like to sign up, call the farm (908-359-5218) to register.  This way you will not miss being a part of a great harvest season.

ALSO, we have an opening for a weekly delivery truck driver to deliver Griggstown products to NYC  Tuesday and Thursday mornings starting at 5:00 am and every other Wednesday to Philadelphia.  Interested candidates should call George at 908-359-5375.

CSA News

If you are a CSA Shareholder and missed the CSA day, we would like you to know how much we appreciate your support of our local farm and others like ours.

This is our Fourth CSA Season and we are pleased to offer fresh produce to our customers!

Things to remember on your first day at the CSA (May 31 and June 1^st)

-          Bring re-useable bags or a basket

-          Please park in the area before the telephone polls.  The area directly in front of the green houses is reserved for handicapped.

-          Do not feed the horses they do bite.

After Parking:

• Sign in
• Pick out your produce from the bins and tables
• Each item will be labeled with a half or full share amount
• Please refrain from digging around the bins.  This damages the vegetables and cuts down on the amount that everyone receives.
• If we are out of anything, please feel free to tell the person that is in the green house to pull out more.  If for some reason there is not someone in the green house, please feel free to let the person in the store know

Pick your own:

• Please bring shoes that you will be able to walk through the field in
• You may bring your own shears or borrow a pair from the store

Volunteers:

• If you would like to volunteer to help in the green house or in the fields please call me at the store (Tim- 908-359-5218) Tim will be happy to explain to you what we have available.

Payments:

• If you have not paid your balance yet, we will charge the card that is on file on your application on May 30^th.  If you would like to pay by check or cash, feel free to stop in the store anytime between now and the 30th.

Newsletter:

Each week we will have the estimated harvest list on the newsletter so that you are able to plan your meals for the week.  Please keep an eye out for CSA harvest lists, BBQ lunch specials and other events and important information is each weeks newsletter.  Also, check out our facebook page and videos on YouTube.

Chuck’s Corner

How to peel a kiwi:

Cut off a little from both ends. Stick a teaspoon (or a spoon roughly the size of the kiwi) just underneath the skin and turn the kiwi all the way around. The skin should come off in one piece and now you have a perfectly peeled kiwi.

Complements of Chef Mike Sawuk, mikesawuk@yahoo.com

How To Sharpen a knife:

This knife sharpening how to will hopefully teach you how to sharpen a knife. Knife sharpening is an art and a science. Steels are used to realign the edge on a knife. Sharpening Stones are used to sharpen the edge once it has grown dull through ordinary use. Most good stones come with a coarse side and a fine side. If your knife is dull, use the coarse side first. Place the sharpening stone on a damp cloth or rubber mat to keep it from moving. Then draw the blade toward you using a 20 degree angle and applying an even moderate pressure. Make strokes of equal number on each side of the blade. After about ten strokes on each side, flip the stone over and move on to the finer grit. Wash the particles off and finish by honing your knife on steel. A quicker and easier way to sharpen knives is with an electric knife sharpener. The Chef’s Choice knife sharpeners are high quality, easy to use sharpeners that put a razor sharp edge on a knife. All you do is turn the unit on, draw the blade slowly through each stage and in minutes, you can restore your knives to factory or better sharpness. We recommend the model 120.

Food of the Week: Ground Turkey

A turkey is a large bird in the genus Meleagris. One species, Meleagris gallopavo, commonly known as the Wild Turkey, is native to the forests of North America. The domestic turkey is a descendant of this species. The other living speciesis Meleagris ocellata or the Ocellated Turkey, native to the forests of the Yucatán Peninsula.

Featured Recipe

Turkey Meatloaf

Courtesy of Barefoot Contessa

Easy to make, great taste and a favorite left over for sandwiches.

If you are a CSA Shareholder and missed the CSA day, we would like you to know how much we appreciate your support of our local farm and others like ours.

This is our Fourth CSA Season and we are pleased to offer fresh produce to our customers!

Things to remember on your first day at the CSA (May 31 and June 1^st)

-          Bring re-useable bags or a basket

-          Please park in the area before the telephone polls.  The area directly in front of the green houses is reserved for handicapped.

-          Do not feed the horses they do bite.

After Parking:

• Sign in
• Pick out your produce from the bins and tables
• Each item will be labeled with a half or full share amount
• Please refrain from digging around the bins.  This damages the vegetables and cuts down on the amount that everyone receives.
• If we are out of anything, please feel free to tell the person that is in the green house to pull out more.  If for some reason there is not someone in the green house, please feel free to let the person in the store know

Pick your own:

• Please bring shoes that you will be able to walk through the field in
• You may bring your own shears or borrow a pair from the store

Volunteers:

• If you would like to volunteer to help in the green house or in the fields please call me at the store (Tim- 908-359-5218) Tim will be happy to explain to you what we have available.

Payments:

• If you have not paid your balance yet, we will charge the card that is on file on your application on May 30^th.  If you would like to pay by check or cash, feel free to stop in the store anytime between now and the 30th.

Newsletter:

Each week we will have the estimated harvest list on the newsletter so that you are able to plan your meals for the week.  Please keep an eye out for CSA harvest lists, BBQ lunch specials and other events and important information is each weeks newsletter.  Also, check out our facebook page and videos on YouTube.

How to peel a kiwi:

Cut off a little from both ends. Stick a teaspoon (or a spoon roughly the size of the kiwi) just underneath the skin and turn the kiwi all the way around. The skin should come off in one piece and now you have a perfectly peeled kiwi.

Complements of Chef Mike Sawuk, mikesawuk@yahoo.com

How To Sharpen a knife:

This knife sharpening how to will hopefully teach you how to sharpen a knife. Knife sharpening is an art and a science. Steels are used to realign the edge on a knife. Sharpening Stones are used to sharpen the edge once it has grown dull through ordinary use. Most good stones come with a coarse side and a fine side. If your knife is dull, use the coarse side first. Place the sharpening stone on a damp cloth or rubber mat to keep it from moving. Then draw the blade toward you using a 20 degree angle and applying an even moderate pressure. Make strokes of equal number on each side of the blade. After about ten strokes on each side, flip the stone over and move on to the finer grit. Wash the particles off and finish by honing your knife on steel. A quicker and easier way to sharpen knives is with an electric knife sharpener. The Chef’s Choice knife sharpeners are high quality, easy to use sharpeners that put a razor sharp edge on a knife. All you do is turn the unit on, draw the blade slowly through each stage and in minutes, you can restore your knives to factory or better sharpness. We recommend the model 120.