CSA week #5

Don't throw that away...
That’s Good Compostable Material!

Another part of us doing things organically is our mass composting system. We not only compost everything from our farm, but we have a produce store up the road from us that also dumps all their waste on our property. This relationship is beneficial for both of us.
Instead of throwing kitchen scraps away in the trash, we choose to throw them in the compost pile. This means that it will break down and slowly decompose. This allows the nutrients it used from the soil to mix together. Then, the bacteria in the soil will get to work turning this decomposed material back into stuff that can be sprinkled on your garden.
In your compost pile, you will need green and brown material. The green will be the produce scraps that you have from your kitchen. You do not want to put meat, dairy products, or fats in it. You can also put yard waste in there too (grass clippings, straw). The brown material would either come from dead leaves, newspaper, cardboard, etc. For a complete list of do’s and do not’s, read some literature about it.
This process will take about a year, turning it once a month to ensure that everything is breaking down at the same rate. Inside the pile will be warm from the microbial activity inside, so don’t be alarmed if it smokes when you turn it. It’s actually really neat to see!
You also have the option of just letting it sit for two years before using it and letting it do all the work for you. At our farm, we try to work smarter to conserve energy and allow ours to sit. This, of course, requires space and patience so is a little harder for those with little to no yard.
Not long before you are ready to use it, you will want to control the moisture level (which may mean covering it if it is raining). You will be able to tell it is ready because it will be the consistency of clumpy dirt. You can then spread this on your garden to put the nutrients back in the soil that the vegetables took out of the soil to begin with. This is just a small overview, so if you are really interested you can find information on the internet or at the public library, or find literature.

Suggested reading:
The Rodale Book of Composting: Easy Methods for Every Gardener

Your CSA package will include:
1. Broccoli
2. Cucumber
3. Carrots
4. Elephant Garlic- hang to dry for proper storage. After a clove has been cut off, cover and put in refrigerator until later use.
5. Collards- don’t forget about taking the stem out before cooking these
6. Peppers- assorted colors
7. Canned tomatoes- from our harvest last year

Recipe of the Week
Stuffed Peppers
*can be made sans meat for vegetarians, just add some more veggies to the recipe instead
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1 cup water
6 bell peppers
1 jar tomatoes, drained but reserve juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, diced
1 small onion, diced
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or oregano from last week if you still have it

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the rice and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook 20 minutes. Cook the beef in a skillet until evenly browned.

Remove and discard the tops, seeds, and insides of the peppers. Arrange peppers in a baking dish with the hollowed sides facing upward. In a bowl, mix beef, cooked rice, tomatoes, Worcestershire, garlic, onion, salt, and pepper. Spoon the mixture into each hollowed pepper. Mix some tomato juice and Italian seasoning in a bowl, and pour over the stuffed peppers.

Bake 1 hour in the oven, basting with sauce every 15 minutes, until the peppers are tender. If you would like, you can melt cheese on top during the last 15 minutes of cooking. In our house, they wouldn’t be eaten any other way!

Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve