ABC News ran a story last week highlighting Stoneledge Farm and the Carnegie Hill CSA, and featuring our buddy Paula from Just Food. They traveled out to the farm with members for a garlic picking day, spent time at their distribution, and visited a couple of members’ home as they prepared their share. The story mentions how the recent cases of contaminated produce (jalepenos tainted with salmonella this summer, and e. coli linked to spinach a couple of years ago) have encouraged more people to look for alternative food sources. They also touched on the risk/reward aspect of CSA, which we have been talking a lot about lately. Click here to watch the clip.

We got more plums than you can shake a stick at. And they are tasty. But, if eating them fresh is getting a little old, our CSA members also submitted these recipes.

From Heidi:
A co-worker says this is her all-time favorite plum recipe.

Plum and almond cobbler Gourmet | May 1995
Serves 12.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/2 pounds prune plums or other plums, pitted and quartered
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt3/4 cup sliced almonds
1 large egg, beaten lightly

Preparation
In a large bowl whisk together brown sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon and add plums, lemon juice, and butter. Toss mixture well and spoon into a shallow 3-quart baking dish.Preheat oven to 375°F.

I used to think that bacon was just another pork product. That is until I read an article in the New York Times Magazine a couple of years ago about a very special bacon smoked here in NYC by Schaller and Weber on 86th and 2nd Ave. The article was accompanied by a very nice detail shot of some beautiful bacon

After reading said article, we acquired some of this pretty pork and true to the photo, it is the best bacon I have ever had. It is double smoked and does not come precut so you can cut it however you like, for whatever meal you are going to need it for. Seriously, after eating it, I thought about it for the rest of the day. Some people might find it too strong, but I find the smoke, fat, salt and meat combo just to my liking. It’s not like your storebought bacon–mostly fat. It is like the American version of pancetta or something.

The most recent issue of Cooks Illustrated reviewed artisanal Applewood smoked bacon. They ranked Vande Rose Farms Artisan Dry Cured Bacon their highly recommended pick. But it’s $14 for 12 ounces plus shipping ($20). Schaller and Weber’s bacon is roughly $10/pound. Plus they have some meat stick thing called TV Snack. Picture it to be a nice german Slim Jim.

Anyway, I’m not really writing about just bacon (but I have been thinking about it a lot). Really, I am writing to pass along a recipe for Kale/Chard that is cooked with bacon since our CSA has been getting the kale/chard combo consistently throughout the season.

This recipe takes about 15-20 minutes to make. It’s really tasty. If you don’t eat bacon for whatever reason, I can’t help you–it wouldn’t be the same without it. We discovered variations of this recipe in both summer issues of Gourmet and Bon Appetit.

I short, it goes something like this:

Garlic
Kale
Bacon
Pasta (Preferrably ziti, penne, farfalle, etc.)

Cook some bacon and set aside. In about 2-3 tablespoons of the bacon oil, saute the garlic and add the kale or chard. Add a little crushed red pepper. Cook until it’s tender. Meanwhile, cook the pasta til al dente. Slice bacon into 1/2 inch piece and throw it in the pan when the kale/chard is almost done. Add to pasta and grate some cheese over it. You can also squeeze lemon over the whole mess for a nice finish.

Easy! Tasty! The end

Those of us with fruit shares have been inundated with plums lately! Let your plums ripen on the counter,  testing them gently by squeezing the whole fruit in the palm of your hand. When ripe, try out some of these recipes:

Those small plums with sheer, golden yellow skin are are Shiro plums originally from Japan and used here in an Artisanal Cocktail. If you can’t find the herb shiso, I’d substitute mint.

Shiro Plum Cocktail 

• 2 Shiro plums, pitted
• 2 shiso leaves (a Japanese herb also called perilla or beefsteak)
• 1 oz light rum
• 1 oz shochu (a Japanese liquor)
• 1/2 oz lemon or lime
• 1 small piece of ginger root, peeled
• 1/2 oz simple syrup

Puree plums, or simply muddle them in cocktail glass or shaker. Gently muddle shiso leaves until flavor is released. Muddle ginger root. Add ice to fill. Add rum, shochu, citrus, simple syrup. Shake. Strain into glass, over ice. Garnish with shiso leaf.

If you can bear the oven being on these Honey-Roasted Plums with Thyme and Creme Fraiche sound like a dream. 

Plum Butter

Plum Crumble

And a Mark Bittman recipe for Plum Puree Sauce for Grilled Meats

Yum!

This week we’re expecting the following veggies from Woodbridge Farm:

1 - Potatoes
2 - Celery
3 - Lettuce
4 - Basil
5 - Kale and/or Swiss Chard
6 - Beans
7 - Cucumbers
8 - Zucchini
9 - Tomatoes

Our first ever PLG CSA picnic is coming up on August 9th. We’ll be gathering in Prospect Park on Saturday August 9th from 1-4 pm. Come on out to meet other members, share a favorite recipe, and have some fun in the park!

Not sure what to bring? Check out Mark Bittman’s list of 101 20-Minute Dishes for Inspired Picnics. There are some great ideas here including beet salad, cold peanut noodles, and lots of other recipes that would work with our CSA fruits and vegetables.

Stay tuned for more details on the exact location, and look for a signup sheet or evite coming soon.

Here’s what we’re expecting from Woodbridge Farm this week:

1. Mixed Salad Greens
2. Bunched Herbs and/or Edible Flowers
3. Basil
4. Beets and/or Turnips
5. Garlic
6. Kale
7. Tomatoes
8. Zucchini
9. Cucumbers
10. Beans

One of New York City’s CSA farmers, Benjamin Shute of Hearty Roots Farm, was featured on the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC earlier this week. Benjamin talked about his experience as a relatively new farmer and the importance of Community Supported Agriculture to making farming possible and profitable. Hearty Roots supplies a few of our neighboring Brooklyn CSAs in East Williamsburg, Greenwood Heights, and Bay Ridge. You can listen to full show here.

via Just Food

We just got some unfortunate news from Woodbridge Farm. They were hit by a serious hail storm on Wednesday afternoon, and some of the crops were damaged, including peas, lettuce, cut greens, summer squash, and swiss chard. For the full story, read the post on their blog.

At times like this it’s important to remember that CSA is about sharing the risks of farming as well as the rewards. Please keep this in mind and try to be understanding as our farmers cope with this difficult situation.

Here’s what we’re expecting in today’s delivery from Woodbridge Farm:

1 - Mixed Salad Greens
2 - Scallions
3 - Swiss Chard
4 - Lettuce Heads
5 - Garlic Scapes
6 - Peas
7 - Tomatoes
8 - Cabbage
9 - Herbs