Dear Shareholders,

I hope you are enjoying the summer's bounty as much as we are. I'm typing this in my last few moments in the office before I head home to make some chile rellenos with Michelle's goat cheese, our oregano, onions and poblanos. Or maybe I'll make a Thai dish with mushrooms, basil, eggplant, and mint ... Too many options!

Produce List:  August 18-22

*as always, this list is tentative and subject to change

Kale
Arugula
Beets
Tomatoes
Peppers
Sage
Basil

Grower's Prespective: How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Jamie Wickler, CSA Grower

The hour of six-o-clock quickly approaches as I rush around my garden trying to finish up harvesting for dinner. Because at 6 p.m. Mountain-Standard Time, I need to be inside watching my favorite game-show: Jeopardy! That's right, I love Jeopardy. Maybe it's Alex Trebek's hilarious responses to contestant interviews, or maybe it is the familiar theme song. To tell you the truth, what I love most about is that it marks the end of the work day. My husband and I go inside to relax. I look forward to it every weekday and some days 6 p.m. cannot come fast enough, but boy when it does I am ready for some friendly competition with my hubby.

I recently took a week's vacation to a remote cabin with no garden or farm in sight. I am going to admit that this was almost painful for me, at first. I am a busy body: I have 20 projects going at once. I'm writing this and realizing how insane and unhealthy this sounds! Thankfully, I brought the perfect book to read: "The Tao of Pooh" by Benjamin Hoff. Oh my goodness, if you have not read this book, I highly recommend it. The book uses the simple, child-like character Winnie the Pooh to explain Taoism. It helped me discover that here I am rushing around constantly doing, without ever realizing that I am never doing nothing. And the nothing is SO very important! I am in love with the idea, "doing nothing, but that does not mean that nothing is done." I honestly need to stop, enjoy my life and reflect before it goes. Enjoy the nothing! And Jeopardy!

Dear Shareholders,

Thanks to our Supporting Shareholders who attended the Farm-to-Fork dinner last night. It was a sucess in every way! Next year, we will expand the event and offer tickets to all other shareholders.

Important reminder:
August 3: YORK ST. POTLUCK and COOKING CLASS! The class starts at 4 p.m. and the Potluck begins at 6 p.m. Register today!

Cooking Class Instructor: Aleece Raw
$24 CSA members

CSA COOKING CLASS  

While at the class and or potluck, you can walk around the Gardens to see the Chihuly exhibition, which is a very special bonus if you haven't seen the art work illuminated at night.

Produce List: July 28 - Aug. 1
*this list is tentative and subject to change

Arugula
Peppers
Tomatoes
Carrots
Basil
Beans
Onion
Dill/Cilantro

Featured recipe: Araminta’s Beet Green Salsa Verde on Roast Carrots 

*We featured this recipe at the Farm-to-Fork dinner from chef and CSA member Araminta David and all we heard was...silence. People loved the sauce and you can pour it on top of anything!
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch beet greens cleaned, dried and coarsely chopped 
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- ¼ -½ jalapeno or hot chili pepper (depending on heat preference)
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp fresh lime zest
- 1 tsp salt
1. Mix all in a food processor or blender. Adjust seasoning as needed.
2. Serve on roasted beets or carrots (roast, then cool first) garnished with sliced limes and cilantro sprigs.
3. Other serving ideas: fish, chicken, any vegetable, in place of pesto, mixed into guacamole, etc.

 

 Have a great week everyone and thanks for supporting the Chatfield CSA!

Dear Shareholders,

Thanks to the shareholders who made it out in the heat for our potluck - we hope you enjoyed the ice cream cones! Our next event is the "Supporting Shareholder" Farm to Fork dinner on Sunday July 27th - invitation coming out soon for that. We also will have a York St. Cooking Class and Potluck: August 3 - Mitchell Hall, 3 p.m. class theme TBD.

Produce List: July 7- 11 
*this list is tentative and subject to change

Kale
Beets
Onions
Scapes
Parsley 

Featured recipe: Kale Slaw
Adapted from "The Post Punk Kitchen" website by Issa Chandra

For the kale slaw: 5-6 cups shredded kale (stems removed, chiffonade – see note)

Dressing for slaw: 2 cloves garlic or 3 scapes, 1/2 an avocado, 2 tablespoons tahini 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or lime), 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup water (plus more to thin)

Make the Kale Slaw:
In a blender, pulse the garlic to get it a bit chopped up. Add the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth. Add extra water as needed in order to get it to a thick but pourable consistency, like a thick milkshake.

Place the shredded kale in a bowl and add the dressing, using a rubber spatula to scrape the blender and get everything out.

Use your hands to massage the dressing into the kale for about 30 seconds. Taste for salt and seasoning. This is important to any kale dish if you are not cooking the kale.

Add this kale on the top of any dish that would go with it - this recipe suggests making tacos (with curried tofu) and topping the tofu with the kale slaw. For the full recipe:

http://www.theppk.com/2013/02/curry-tofu-tacos-with-pintos-kale-slaw/ 

 

Grower's Perspective: Squash those bugs!
by Phil Cordelli, Head CSA Grower

 “It was supposed to be their grand entrance this week. Alas, the summer squash and cukes will be a bit late. Each season with its infinite variables brings a new set of conditions, which results in a new balance of organisms, be they weeds or crops or animals or insects. This season it’s the squash bug population that has exploded.

Each season they arrive around now, and set up shop at the base of our cucurbits (the family of plants including cukes, squash and melons), shading themselves under the canopy of leaves and gnawing on the plants. If the plant is large enough it can withstand a few squash bug bites, but when the bugs find small plants, or the population explodes, as it did this year, they chew so much of the stem that it can no longer move enough water and nutrients up to the rest of the plant.

Growing organically, there’s not a whole lot we can do to effectively kill these tough little bugs beside handpicking them off and crushing them (and with nearly an acre of cucurbits that’s a tall order! Plus, they absolutely STINK when you do crush them, and their guts are a freaky turquoise color …). We have a weekly regiment of using organic based  substances that are approved for organic gardening. So we kinda just shoo them off the plants with this, just hoping to buy enough time for the plants to gain strength to grow through the damage.

If this is too much information for you, feel free to stop reading at any time, but I do want to share some of the specifics of our growing practices, and why the offerings at distribution have the cycles they do. So, back to the cucurbits!

This season Jamie had a great idea to sow the aisles of our plastic-mulched beds with clover. As you know, nature abhors bare ground almost as much as a vacuum, so establishing a low-growing, nitrogen-fixing cover crop on this ground is a perfect solution. I kicked myself that I never thought of this before.

I suppose in retrospect I should’ve realized it was too perfect of a solution, because it turns out that when we shoo the bugs off our melons and cukes, they just hide out in the shady, clovered aisles until the sprays become inert, which happens in a day or so, or faster in bright sunlight (hello, Colorado!).

It’s still a much better solution than trying to keep bare soil out there, but it does have unintended consequences … So, the next cucumber and squash seedlings are just uncurling their necks in another field. We've got them covered, hoping the bugs just keep snacking on the first planting. Rest assured though the watermelons are looking FANTASTIC! They were established enough to power on through it all. We will too.”

 -Phil 

Dear Shareholders,

Please join us this SUNDAY, June 29 at 3 p.m. at the CSA Washstand for our first potluck of the season! Park in the top overflow parking area and head toward the historic Hildebrand ranch area. The washstand is the last building on your left. We have a patio area and outdoor kitchen so feel free to bring your ingredients and cook right at the potluck!

We hope you have been loving the produce. This week was a whirl wind for Chatfield and the CSA and we are all ready for the 4th of July holiday week. Chatfield hosted a series of events for the American Public Garden Association's annual national conference. Josie gave a tour of various urban farms and CSA's in the metro area. Public Garden peers were also excited to visit Chatfield since it is very unique for a botanic garden. It occurred to me how incredibly lucky I am to be a part of this land on a daily basis.

Chatfield has meant something different to the Gardens' community and Denver throughout the years. But, the one thing that cannot alter the true essence of Chatfield is the raw, wild beauty of its land. The land matures in beauty and cultivation and will continue to flourish as its stewards continue to nurture everything in its borders. Ahh, Chatfield. I hope you all make a visit very soon!

We are planning the "Supporting Shareholder" dinner and will soon announce the evening's details!

*REMINDER - Please SIGN IN for your share. Also on Tuesday, July 1, Kathy Lee with Modern Gingham (fellow CSA shareholder/mother) will be at distribution sampling her delicious jams!

Produce List: June 30 - July 4
*this list is tentative and subject to change

rainbow chard
carrots 
arugula
scapes
mint
basil 
radish (tentative)

Featured recipe: Arugula/Basil Pesto
Peg Montagne - CSA Volunteer

2 cups fresh arugula

2 cups fresh basil

1-2 cups toasted walnuts

1 ½ cups olive oil ¼ lb. hard cheese (I used raw milk Romano.)

1-2 finely diced garlic scapes 

Juice from 1 lemon (and zest if you like a more intense lemon flavor)

Salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a food processer and blend to desired consistency. This makes about 12 servings. I froze half of the batch and mixed the other half with 1 lb. of cooked whole wheat pasta. You can also use this as a spread, dip or dressing for quinoa salad. Get creative and enjoy!

 Fun Article about CSAs and Garlic Scape Recipes 

*Please remember to bring your egg cartons for eggs and cash if you would like to purchase add-on items.

Happy 4th of July everyone!

 

Dear Shareholders,

In this issue of the CSA newsletter, we want to highlight some of our upcoming education classes. As a CSA member, you receive a 15% discount. Just one of the ways we like to say thank you for supporting our CSA. We are waiting on a few crops to do more growing before we harvest. Thanks for being patient while these two weeks have been lighter on produce. We reduced the price of mushrooms in this lighter produce time so if you need to supplement your share you can do so with fresh mushrooms.

* NEXT WEEK 6/24 We will be at St. John's Cathedral: 

1350 Washington Street Denver, Colorado 80203 

Please enter the south entrance of the parking lot and leave out of the north exit to keep traffic flowing. Look for our signs on Washington Street to let you know you are getting close.

Produce list for week of June 23-27
Carrots
Lettuce
Bok Choy
Salad Mix
Dill and Cilantro, possibly mint

*Weekly Wild Food: Purslane. These are edible weeds and part of a sustainable lifestyle. We will have recipes at distribution. If you are vegan, we suggest making purslane a normal part of your diet because it is so rich with omega 3 fatty acids usually found in fish and very important a healthy diet.

(Beets came in Thursday so this is more for Chatfield people.) 

Featured Recipes: Pineapple Beet Ambrosia
from Food52 and CSA shareholder Tamara
(Beets came in Thursday so this is more for Chatfield people.) 

 Serves 4
3 cups cubed (1/2-inch) pineapple
1 cup cubed (1/2-inch) roasted beets
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2 tablespoons raw sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sour cream
Pinch cayenne

Chop beats and pineapple together. Add the other ingredients (sugar,coconuts, etc) and stir until all beets are coated. Whip cream and sour cream together for a topping. Add a small amount of sugar to taste for cream topping.

 

Moroccan Carrot Salad
Serves 8-10

8-10 carrots

2 tablespoons Harissa (hot sauce from Morocco, you can make it or buy it)

4 tablespoons chopped preserved lemon (about one lemon or just heat up fresh lemon juice)

4 cloves of garlic chopped

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1/4 bunch cilantro

salt & pepper

Cut the carrot to rounds about 1/2 cm thick. Boil 4 cups of water and add salt. Boil the carrot for 10 min until soft but still have some bite to it. Drain, let dry and cool. Mix the carrot with the rest of the ingredients and let it sit in the fridge at least over night. Before serving check and see if the salad needs more salt or vinegar. Serve at room temperature.

*Mushrooms, goat cheese and fudge are all on sale next Week so please try to bring cash! 

CSA Education Classes: Sign up now!

Wild Things Walk – Identification and Uses of Wild Plants for Food and Medicine
At DBG Chatfield,11 a.m., $24 CSA members
Explore the fascinating world of wild edible and medicinal plants. http://catalog.botanicgardens.org/selection.aspx?item=1870 

 

Wild Edible Plant Workshop
At DBG Chatfield,11:30 a.m., $24 CSA members

Experience the new Survival Garden, which features over 30 edible wild plants. Learn how to identify these plants, along with how to prepare them to access their nutritional and medicinal benefits. http://catalog.botanicgardens.org/selection.aspx?item=2219

  

Cook One Day a Week
At DBG Chatfield,2:30 p.m., $30 CSA members, Free for children under 10 

Learn how to efficiently make meals out of the summer bounty from your garden or CSA in this family friendly class. http://catalog.botanicgardens.org/selection.aspx?item=2235  

Dear Egg Share Members,

It has to come to my attention that a portion of the eggs handed out last Tuesday/Thursday were rotten! Last year, from time to time, we had an odd egg that got fertilized; that happens occasionally. However, in this instance it seems to be a bigger issue than one or two eggs. Like last year, we are partnering with The Eastern Plains Natural Food Coop – and they are usually very good about quality. 

We are working on determining which farm (they work with a few small eastern plains farms) supplied the rotten eggs. Many of the egg dozens were still the great quality that we are accustomed to.

If you received a rotten dozen we can refund the amount for a dozen eggs at your next distribution.

I apologize - the smell of a rotten egg is no fun. I hope that your Father's Day was still good even without those farm fresh eggs! 

Please let me know at distribution if you need to be refunded.

Best,

Josie
CSA Manager

Dear CSA Shareholders,

The plants are looking great with the recent rain! We have begun to sell mushrooms, goat cheese and to distribute our egg share. Please let us know about the quality of these items. We partner with small farms and want to make sure, just like our produce, they meet your expectations.

Chatfield is looking very beautiful with flowers in full bloom, coyote pups running and playing, cottonwood fluff drifting through the filterd sunlight and the crops growing bigger and more lush every day.

*We hope you all join us June 29th, at 3 p.m. for our Open House and Potluck event in the CSA washstand!

We are now finished with our new farm stand at Denver Human Services for the month of June. We will be on the 16th St. Mall next Friday, so look for us there from noon to 5:00 p.m. if you would like to stop by! We are directly across from the Verizon store near Champa St.

Produce List for June 16-20
* tentative and subject to change

Beets

Baby Bok Choy

Coriander

Dill

Featured Recipe of the Week: Quick Beet Greens and White Bean Saute

Adapted From "All We Need Farm" Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 2 tbsp minced garlic chives
• Your share of beet tops
• ½ cup of broth – vegetable or chicken
• 2 cups of cooked white beans drained
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp of vinegar – malt or apple cider

Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium heat.  Add beet greens and garlic chives.  Stirring to coat the greens with the oil.  Cook for about 5 minutes and add your broth. 

Bring broth to a simmer and add beans, stirring, until the greens are wilted and the dish is hot.  Season with salt, pepper and vinegar. Garnish the top of your beans with minced arugula, chive blossoms or fresh parsley.

 Grower's perspective: Meet the CSA Staff!

We are so lucky at the CSA to have such a family vibe amongst our staff.
Josie Hart: CSA Program Manager. Josie handles the behind-the-scene details like sales, website, marketing, volunteers, and communication for the CSA as well York St. Distribution, the farm stand and outreach projects for the CSA.
Phil Cordelli: Produce Grower and Field Manager. Phil handles all aspects of growing the produce, managing field staff, handling day to day volunteers as well as Chatfield distribution and guides the overall vision and mission of the CSA with Josie.
Jamie Wickler: Produce Grower. In her second year Jamie is integral to the daily CSA operations of produce growing, irrigation management and harvest. Jamie's background is in engineering and brings a strong work ethic to the team as well as data and record keeping.
Chris Krabbenhoeft: Produce Grower.Chris is also in his second year and has a lot of experience as a produce grower/distributor. Chris has an excellent eye for produce at its peak ripeness and top quality. Chris has amazing pace and speed in the field and gets the job done with accuracy and efficiency.
Ashley Koehnke: Produce Grower. Ashley comes to us from Revision International as a grower, and has a lot of experience on farms (she also grew up one)! Ashley is a go-getter with an incredibly mellow and friendly attitude. She also is a massage therapist and a great new addition to the team.
Gerardo Patron-Cano: Produce Grower. Gerardo is very passionate about small farms having a positive affect on the local economy as well as increasing food access in Denver. Gerardo has wonderful enthusiasm out in the field. He is currently a graduate student at Denver University and hopes to run his own farm in the future. Gerardo is also a great new addition to our team.

If you see these people at distribution or on your volunteer day in the field, please tell them what a great job they are doing!    

Egg Shares:  Please bring in a egg carton but we have plenty to lend you too!
Bring Cash: Mushrooms and freshly made goat cheeses are on sale every week! Please note we are trying to increase the quantity of cheese we can purchase from Pine Mountain, however, her operation is still getting started and she is doing her best to provide more yummy cheese. This week she will also have a limited amount of goat's milk fudge to try!

*No meat shares this week. Salmon fillets may be available- bring your checkbook if interested!

Food Safety Note
Please note that although we wash our produce after harvesting, shareholders should wash 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. 

Hello DBG CSA Members.  

I had so much fun meeting you all last week and I hope you liked the cheeseburgers!

Today is the last day to sign up for the Locavore Delivery meat share. York Street delivery starts tomorrow and Chatfield on Thursday. This bi-weekly share will feature the best grass fed beef and heritage pastured pork from Front-Range family-owned ranches.

Signing up is easy! Email  with your name, phone number and if you pickup at York St. or Chatfield. Then just bring a check this week. A payment plan is available. 

Thank you very much to those who already signed up. You are supporting local ranchers/farmers and we are excited for you to taste the high quality food. Below is an informational sheet with all the details: 

meat share info 

I look forward to seeing you again this week and hope you have an enjoyable rest of your day! -- Jay Burbank
Sales, Locavore Delivery Golden, CO

www.locavoredelivery.com    
Cell: 303-875-1616

Dear CSA Shareholders,

The plants are looking great with all the rain! 

Produce List for June 9-13

* tentative and subject to change

Beets

Radish or Hakerei Turnip

Kale

Head Lettuce

Parsley and Sage

Featured Recipe of the Week: Kale Salad 

1 Bunch Kale

2 Tbs. Olive Oil

1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

1 Tbs. course salt

5 sliced Strawberries

Sliced almonds, cashews or other crushed nut

1 tbs. chopped parsley

I clove crushed garlic

Raw kale is a tougher green that does well raw when tenderized first. Shred the kale pretty thin into a bowl. Pour oil, salt and lemon juice on the kale and then gently mash the juices into the leaves until the kale is tender (about 50 strokes). Add the fresh garlic, parsley, fruit and nuts to the top and toss. Set out on the counter covered for a 1/2 hour before serving so kale accepts the flavors.

Egg Shares:  start for everyone this week, please sign for your share.

Bring Cash: mushrooms and freshly made goat cheeses are on sale every week!

Food Safety Note
Please note that although we wash our produce after harvesting, shareholders should wash 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. 

Dear CSA Shareholders,

Here is the produce list for our second week of distribution. Our crops are coming along nicely with the heat/moisture mix . Our tomatoes are looking great after the recent pruning and trellising work. The various cover crops are over a foot high and are adding a significant amount nutrients to our soil while also cutting down on weed growth.  

Produce List for June 2 - 6 

*This tentative and subject to change

Green Garlic or Chives

Baby Bok Choy

Head Lettuce

Cilantro

Hakurei Turnips

Fresh Herb Choice

Featured Recipe of the Week: Glazed Hakurei Turnips 

1 Bunch Hakurei Turnips

1 oz. (2 Tbs.) unsalted butter

1 Tbs. white miso

1 Tbs. honey Kosher salt

Put the turnips in an 8-inch-wide, 3- to 4-quart saucepan and arrange snugly.

Add butter, miso, honey, 1/2 tsp. salt, and enough water to just cover the turnips (about 2 cups). Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook over high heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until most of the liquid has reduced to a syrupy glaze and the turnips are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.

(If the glaze is done before the turnips, add about 1/2 cup water and continue to cook. If the turnips are done first, remove them and boil the liquid until syrupy.) Lower the heat to medium and toss to coat the turnips with the glaze. Season to taste with salt and serve. (The glazed turnips can be kept warm, covered, for about 20 minutes).

 

Grilled Grilled Bok Choy

The best way to have bok choy in the summer is on the grill. Cut the bok choy heads in half. Use a large bowl to soak the bok choy heads in a marinade of your choice (we enjoy combining Bragg's amino acid sauce, olive oil, sesame oil, sriracha hot sauce, salt and pepper with some fresh cilantro).

After soaking the bok choy for about half an hour, grill the bok choy on a cool setting or on the top shelf. When the edges of the leaves turn slightly black and the center is golden brown, remove from the grill and enjoy as a side dish or a topping on your rice noodle soup! 

 

Food Safety Note
Please note that although we have washed our produce once after harvesting it in the field, shareholders 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.