September 19 - 23 Chatfield CSA e-news

Dear CSA Shareholders,

Welcome to our special edition of the CSA newsletter, offering BONUS information on our fantastic herbs! From herbal recipes to preserving your herbs to herbal holiday gifts; we hope you’ll enjoy getting some new ideas and information from some of our herb experts.
 

chatfield herbs – the guild

Herbs grown in the York Street Herb Garden and at the Chatfield CSA are used by the Denver Botanic Gardens Guild members to make gourmet products sold in The Shop at the Gardens and at the annual Holiday Sale. Sharon Montague, a CSA member and volunteer, has been kindly assisting the CSA with herb donations every Thursday for the guild to use later this season.

Guild members take an active role in helping to maintain the Herb Garden at York Street. Working closely with the staff at the Gardens, the Guild is responsible for cleaning out the Herb Garden in the spring, selecting herb plants for the Plant Sale in May and helping to maintain the Herb Garden throughout the summer at York Street. For over 45 years, Denver Botanic Gardens Guild has maintained an important role in educating the public about herbs and continued fundraising efforts for projects throughout the Gardens.

The proceeds support the Guild’s annual cash donation back to Denver Botanic Gardens. Be sure to come to the Holiday Sale this year to purchase some Chatfield-grown herb vinegars.

We are currently looking for volunteers who would like to work in the Chatfield herb and cutting gardens for next season. If you are interested please contact us at [email protected]

herb preserving
from Susan Evans, Chrysalis Herbs

To dry your herbs, fasten them in small bunches with a rubber band, include a strip of paper telling you what it is, and hang upside down in a cool, dry, place, out of direct sunlight. Most herbs dry quite well this way, with common exceptions being basil, cilantro and chives. The next step is very important; when your herbs have dried, take them down and put them in a sealed container. Glass jars work best, but you can also use Ziploc bags. Label, date and store in a cool dark place.

Although your hanging herbs might look nice as a decoration for your house, once they dry, they start to lose their potency so be sure to put them into their containers as soon as possible! There is also something very discouraging about pulling a dusty, cobwebbed sage leaf out of your soup!

There are some things to consider. Until you are ready to use them, keep your herbs in as whole a form as possible. Rub the leaves off the woody stems before adding to dishes. If stored correctly, most herbs retain flavor until the next growing season and beyond. To determine viability look at color - beige is not a good sign - and rub some of the herb between your fingers. It should still have some fragrance.

Herbs can also be frozen. Place loosely in bags, date and label. Basil will turn black so I always blend the fresh leaves with enough oil to make a paste and freeze it that way. Defrost, add Parmesan cheese and pine nuts, whip up in a food processor and you have pesto!

Another great way to store herbs is in herb vinegar. Just put the clean, fresh herb in a jar, cover completely with apple cider, rice or wine vinegar, let it sit for a few weeks, strain, and you have yourself a very tasty, high mineral, designer vinegar.
 

this week’s produce (september 19 – 23)

• Peppers (hot and sweet)
• Onions
• Tomatoes
• Eggplant
• Beets, carrots and squash
• Salad greens, kale, chard and arugula
• Tomatillos
• Sweet basil, Thai basil, parsley and cilantro
• Sage, tarragon, mint, dill

this week’s fruit (september 20 and 22)

Two bags of fruit:  Cresthaven peaches and Jonathan or Gala apples.
 

weekly recipe
Susan Evans, Chrysalis Herbs

Herbed Olives
¼ cup chopped parsley leaves
1 tsp. rosemary, oregano, ground pepper, marjoram
2 cloves diced fresh garlic
½ tsp. orange or lemon zest
Red pepper flakes
3 cups olives
Olive oil to cover
Mix herb, garlic, zest and pepper flakes together, toss with olives, and cover with olive oil. Store in glass container in the refrigerator.

Herb Vinegar
1 cup fresh herbs
1 pint vinegar, apple cider, wine or rice vinegar - all are good choices.
Use mason jars with lids that have white protective inner coating. The acid in vinegar will eat away metal lids.
Coarsely chop the herbs and put in a wide mouthed jar. Add the vinegar, making sure all of the herbs are completely covered. Stir with a knife to release air bubbles. Tightly seal the jar and let sit for at least 2 weeks. Strain and put in a decorative bottle.

Herb Butter
½ cup butter
1-2 tbsp. dried herbs, or 2-4 tbsp. fresh herbs.
Let butter soften at room temperature. Mix in herbs.
Herbs to use can be roasted garlic, nasturtium or pansy flowers, sage, rosemary, basil, cilantro, tarragon, chives, dill or thyme. You can use any herb you want, and make up combinations.
 

how to use herbs in day-to-day cooking

We will be offering a wide variety of herbs for this coming week. Here is some background information on the herbs to help you get the most out of the harvest, thanks to Sharon Montague.

Tarragon – Main ingredient in Béarnaise sauce and Green Goddess salad dressing. Essential in French cooking; can also be used to infuse vinegars.
Sage – Fresh is good used in breads, vegetables and herb butter; also used to make infused vinegar. Dried sage is commonly associated with turkey stuffing recipes at Thanksgiving.
Dill – Snip fresh leaves with scissors rather than ripping or cutting with a knife; fresh or dried leaves can be used in breads, dips, and fish, egg, poultry, potato dishes - and of course in pickles. A great herb to dry and bottle.
Parsley – Curly: leaves and stems can be added to salads, savory dishes and bouquet garnish. Flat-leafed: has a much stronger flavor and is considered more for culinary uses.
Thai Basil – Used in Vietnamese and Thai cooking, it has a light licorice flavor; stronger than Sweet Green Basil. It can be used to infuse vinegar or olive oil or certain types of liquor for cocktails.
Cilantro – A must for fresh salsa, and most Mexican or Indian dishes. Can also be used in soups, stews and salads.
Mint – Great to use in fresh iced tea, a garnish on desserts and a fun ingredient for fresh salsas.  Used in the famous Latin drink, the mojito. Mint is a great dried herb to use in sachets or bottled for cooking.
 

farm topic – herbs make great holiday gifts
Amanda Wilson, Chatfield Horticulturist

Not sure what to do with all the herbs you receive throughout the growing season? For a fun project that makes a wonderful holiday gift, try drying and bottling your herbs. Hand dried herbs in pretty bottles and local Chatfield honey will make up the majority of my gifts this year – unique and affordable!

To begin with, pick up all the herbs at distribution, even if normally you don’t normally do so. If you are planning on doing some drying, ask a CSA staff member if you can take extra herbs that week. This usually isn’t a problem. It may seem a bit overwhelming, or you may not be familiar with a particular herb, but this is the perfect opportunity to learn more about each one. There are several ways of drying your herbs.

A great way to dry herbs (for bottling) is to spread them on a wax paper covered cookie sheet and place them in your oven with the oven turned off. Make sure to leave the oven door slightly open to allow air flow. They can sit and dry without taking up counter space or getting in the way. Make sure to lay the herbs only one layer thick so the leaves dry evenly. This process typically takes about 4 to 5 days to completely dry out your herbs, butmay vary due to the amount of humidity in the air.

Once your herbs are dry, keep the herbs intact on the stem as much as possible and put them in your herb bottles. If you need to make the segments smaller, just trim them with scissors to fit inside the bottle. Herb bottles can be purchased at most stores, but you might want to try a thrift store to find a more eclectic selection. Picking out fun stickers from your local craft store is a nice way of labeling and decorating your herbs.

Although dried herbs make fantastic gifts - you just might want to keep them for yourself after you see how pretty all your bottles are! Come winter you will be thrilled to revisit the smell of all the Chatfield herbs we have enjoyed throughout the season.


food safety note

Please note that although we have washed our produce once after harvesting it in the field, members should wash the produce at home again before eating. Our farm produce should be treated the same way as grocery store produce: always wash before eating! The best way to wash produce is by running it under cool water. Cleaning products are not necessary.