From the Field

Good Morning!

This week you'll find some familiar favorites and new additions to your CSA box. You're getting either Christophene- that prickly looking pear-shaped squash - or green papaya this week, which are great in asian slaws, curries, and creamy baked dishes. Christophene, a type of cucurbit, is the common name for this vegetable in the Caribbean, but it goes by many other names including chayote, mirliton and chu- chu. You're also receiving a bunch of fresh moringa leaves - you may have only heard about this 'miracle-food' recently - but it's been growing on the farm here for years now, and is known to have been used for its health and nutritional benefits for thousands of years. Check out the recipes and information below for more on how to prepare these tasty veggies. Don't forget, we're always curious to know how you've been using your CSA box - send us your favorite recipes!

Love and vegetables,

Claudia and the crew at Ridge to Reef Farm



Pictured above: 


@ top: the pumpkin patch at Ridge to Reef Farm

What's that Food? Moringa

Native to the foothills of the Himalayas in Northern India, Moringa oleifera is often referred to as the "Miracle Tree" for its vast nutritional and health properties, and its potential to boost food security and improve nutrition in developing countries. Many parts of the plant are edible, including the leaves, flowers, pods and seeds.

The leaves are the most nutritious part of the plant - they are a significant source of Vitamins A, C, and B6, Calcium, Potassium, and Protein.  To remove the leaves, hold the stem in one hand and slide the fingers of your other hand along it, against the direction of growth. Leaves can be eaten raw in salads, or cooked briefly just like spinach. Try one of the recipes below!


Farm Recipes

Guacamole Dip with Moringa LeavesOne of the tastiest dips in the world is guacamole. Made up of the highly nutritious avocado fruit, it makes a nice compliment to the highly nutritious Moringa. Combining the two makes for a healthy zesty dip.

Ingredients

1 Ripe Avocado (meat scooped and mashed)
1/4 cup Moringa (blanched and minced)
1 medium size red onion (chopped)
1 chili pepper (stem and seeds removed, minced)
1 medium size tomato (seeds and pulp removed, diced)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Cilantro (minced)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• Clean and cut Avocado in half, remove seed and scoop out the flesh.
• Mash Avocado and set aside.
• Blanch Moringa leaves on boiling water, minced to almost pasty then, mix it together with avocado.
• Cut tomatoes and scoop out the pulp and seeds, dice and mix with avocado.
• Peel and chop onions and cilantro and mix it to mashed avocado.
• Add in salt and pepper and lemon juice.
• Fold all ingredients together and make sure to evenly distribute everything in the mixture.
• Leave it in the fridge to chill.
• Serve with nachos for snack or as party cocktail dip.

Recipe courtesy Moringa Source
 


Moringa Leaves Gulay

Ingredients

1 cup coconut milk, diluted with 1 cup water
1 cup tofu
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, sliced
1/8 tsp. sea salt
6 cups moringa leaves, washed and sorted
4 pieces chili peppers, crushed (optional)
Directions

• Boil coconut milk, tofu, garlic and onion for 10 minutes.                                         • Season with salt, stirring the mixture continuously.                                                  • Add moringa leaves and crushed chili peppers.                                                      • Cook 5 minutes longer. Serve hot. 

Serves 6.

Recipe courtesy Victoria White of Moringa Tress of Life
 


Moringa - Meal Suggestions
Salads: Use Moringa as the 1st ingredient in your salad because of its high nutritional value. Then add in red lettuce, bib, sprouts, raw veggies, tomatoes, sunflower seeds and anything else. Make sure you eat one huge, healthy salad a day at least. Two would be even better.

Quiche and Egg Dishes: Substitute Moringa leaves for spinach leaves in Quiche or put both in. Add to eggs or omelets just before serving. It really is a wonderful addition to these foods.

Green Drinks and Smoothies: Combine juice, Moringa fresh or dried powder, Spirulina, fresh fruit, and blend. You can do a smoothie with yogurt instead. Moringa will boost the nutrition of every food you add it to.

Sandwiches: Use Moringa leaves instead of lettuce for higher nutrition.

Cottage Cheese: Add fresh Moringa leaves and pineapple chucks to your cottage cheese dish.

Yogurt: Add fresh or dried Moringa to your helping of home made yogurt.

Italian Cooking: Add fresh Moringa leaves just before serving the food to preserve heat sensitive nutrients.

Pizza: Add fresh leaves as a topping once the pizza is ready to serve.

Steamed Vegetables Dishes: Add Moringa leaves to other steamed vegetables when they are almost finished cooking. Heat destroys the Vitamin C and enzymes present in the fresh leaves.

Tea: Use fresh leaves, fresh flowers, or dried powder to make a wonderful tea. I combine Moringa with different additional herbs such as ginko, ginseng, and green tea. It is great by itself to increase energy and reduce stress. If I drink it before bed, I sleep sounder and wake up much fresher.

Excerpt courtesy Kate Freer in "How to Use Moringa Leaves and Flowers in American Dishes"



Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad (Goi Du Du)


Ingredients

1 large green papaya, with skin peeled away with a vegetable peeler
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded on the large holes of a grater
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 scallion, finely minced
1/4 cup of high-quality fish sauce
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1/3 cup of lime juice (or the juice from 2 to 3 limes)
1/4 tsp of lime zest
2 Thai bird chilies, sliced cross-wise (optional)
roasted cashews or peanuts, to garnish
thai basil or cilantro, to garnish

Directions


• First, peel the hard green papaya with a vegetable peeler (if you haven't done so already). Then, cut the papaya in half, lengthwise, and use a spoon to scrape away all of the seeds from the inside. Now, you can either use a fancy mandolin or a knife to finely julienne the papaya into thin matchstick-sized strips. You want the strips to be as narrow as possible, so that they can absorb the bright salad dressing. However, I would advise against using a shredder here, because shredded papaya makes the salad look a tad sloppy and unrefined.

• However, you can shred the carrots with a regular grater because the green papaya is the star of this slaw, while the carrots are almost an afterthought.

• Meanwhile, combine the lime juice, lime zest, fish sauce, garlic, scallions, Thai bird chilies, and sugar with a whisk, making sure that the sugar is completely dissolved. Drizzle the finished dressing over the shredded carrots and julienned papaya strips, and stir well to combine. You can serve this immediately, or marinate it in the fridge for an hour to allow the flavors to meld. This slaw keeps in the fridge for up to a week. When you serve it, just strain away the excess dressing.

• Finally, serve the slaw with cilantro or basil, and roasted cashews or peanuts as garnish, and enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of the blog Passionate Eater
 
 
ORIENTAL MIXED VEGETABLE SALAD

Ingredients

1 christophene, peeled and cut into thin strips
1 carrot peeled and cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 cup green beans, cut into one inch pieces

For Dressing

1 tbs butter
1  tbs olive oil
2 tsp fresh lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs chopped parsley
1 tbs chopped chadon beni or cilantro
1 tbs chopped chives

Directions

• Steam vegetables until tender crisp, about four minutes for each type, remove and cool.
• Heat oil in a small sauce pan, add butter and stir, add garlic, ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil.
• Cook for a few minutes, just until incorporated.
• Remove from heat and stir in herbs.  Pour dressing onto vegetables and toss.

Serves 4.

Recipe courtesy Wendy Mahamut




CHRISTOPHENE GRATIN

Ingredients

3 lbs christophene
1 lb tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
 

Directions

• Slice tomatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices.
• Peel christophenes, slice in half lengthways then slice into 1/4 inch thick slices.
• Steam christophenes with a little salt for five minutes.
• Drain christophene.
• Combine crumb with parsley, oregano, pepper, salt, parmesan cheese, and garlic.
• Add one tablespoon oil and combine.
• Lightly grease a casserole dish, place one row of christophene, then a row of tomatoes, continue until all the vegetables are used up and are in an overlapping fashion.
• Sprinkle with parmesan mixture.
• Drizzle on olive oil.
• Bake for 30 minutes until crust is browned.

Serves 6 to 8

Recipe courtesy Wendy Mahamut

This Week's Harvest

Salad Mix - gourmet lettuce blend

Eggplant - Asian or Italian


Basil - Genovese

Parsley - Italian flat leaf


Christophene or Green Papaya

Moringa - leaves

Tomatoes - heirloom

Cherry Tomatoes - sungold & black cherry







Free Farm Stay for CSA Members! (A $125 value!)
 
Do you ever wonder what life at the farm is like? Well, we would love for you to experience it with us! Please take this opportunity to volunteer in the gardens, join us for a community dinner, and retreat to your private cabana after dark...

Call us at 340.220.0466 to make your reservations. See you soon!


THANK YOU HOSTS!

Gifft Hill School
St. John 4-6 pm Thursday


Barefoot Buddha
Havensight, St. Thomas 11 am -1 pm Thursday

Miriam's Restaurant
Christiansted, St. Croix 3-5 pm Saturday


Teres Veho
Frederiksted, St. Croix 2-4 pm Saturday
 

 FARM WISH LIST

Got some things laying around that we can re-use in the CSA?
Last season we received egg cartons, more reusable bags, a blender, some garden hoses, a trash bin, and other great things that we use and were saved from going to the landfill or rotting in a shed. THANK YOU!

• BAGS - plastic, paper and/or re-usable bags
• T-posts -- the longer the better!
• Good quality scrap lumber -- 2x4's, plywood, etc UNTREATED
• any working garden tools
• coolers
• Banana and Pineapple boxes - intact
• Cash boxes, old cash-register trays
• Produce scales
• your CSA boxes!
• feedback

“The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope.”

                                                                                   -Wendell Berry

From the Field

The farm is bustling with activity and produce! Our third succession of tomatoes, which includes some new heirloom varieties like Pink Brandywine and Mortgage Lifter, is starting to pump out large lucious fruits. The cherry tomatoes planted all the way back in December are towering above us - some reaching up to eight feet - loaded with bunches of tiny fruits. The younger crops in our upper terraces are growing along nicely - we have a thick patch of green onions, whose baby bulbs are starting to take shape, rows of beets whose deep red shoulders are poking out of the ground,  and a field of vigorous winter squash with many small pumpkins and squashes. We did our final planting for the winter CSA last week - arugula, radish, turnip and other seeds are germinating and will be ready to harvest in just a few weeks!

Even with all of the successful production we have setbacks -  the lively colony of white-tailed deer that reside in the rainforest love to feast on our okra!  Thankfully they've avoided most of the other crops, but it is a constant struggle to try to keep them away from the vegetables. Birds are also enjoying the bounty, but they are just nibbling in comparison to the deer. The weather is on our minds constantly - wondering if it will rain or if we'll have a break from the hot, dry weather that has been so ubiquitous. We do our best to conserve water - we use drip irrigation, which bring water right to where the plants need it, and use mulch on the soil surface when we can  (hay, woodchips, plastic, grass and/or other organic matter) to conserve moisture.

This week we harvested an heirloom variety of kale for you called Lacinato, which also goes by other names - cavolo nero, Tuscan, black, Italian, and my favorite, Dinosaur! It has crinkly leaves, but is actually very tender and doesn't require that much cooking. It can be sauteed, made into kale chips, or massaged into a raw salad! Kale is in the family Brassicaceae, which also includes broccoli, cabbage, arugula. It is a rich source of cancer-fighting glucosinolates, whose properties are activated by crushing, cutting, chewing, or cooking the leaves. Try out the recipe below for Sauteed Kale.

Yours,

Claudia & the Ridge to Reef Farm Crew

www.ridge2reef.org


Pictured above: 

View from the CSA Upper Fields after a momentary rain shower on Tuesday. 


Farm Recipes

Baba Ganoush
Ingredients

2-3 medium-sized eggplants
1/2 cup  tahini (roasted sesame paste)
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
3 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1/8 teaspoon chile powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
a half bunch picked flat-leaf parsley or cilantro leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375F . Prick each eggplant a few times, then char the outside of the eggplants by placing them directly on the flame of a gas burner and as the skin chars, turn them until the eggplants are uniformly-charred on the outside. (If you don’t have a gas stove, you can char them under the broiler. If not, skip to the next step.)

Place the eggplants on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until they’re completely soft; you should be able to easily poke a paring knife into them and meet no resistance. Remove from oven and let cool. Split the eggplant and scrape out the pulp. Puree the pulp in a blender or food processor with the other ingredients until smooth. Taste, and season with additional salt and lemon juice, if necessary. Chill for a few hours before serving. Serve with crackers, sliced baguette, or toasted pita chips.

Storage: Baba Ganoush can be made and refrigerated for up to five days prior to serving.

Recipe courtesy of Trusted Earth Farm & Forage CSA

Sauteed Kale with Garlic

Ingredients

1 bunch Lacinato kale roughly chopped
4 cloves of garlic sliced thin
Splash of good olive oil

Splash of white wine or water
Salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

Squeeze of lemon

Directions

Heat a large pot with a lid over high heat until very hot. Add a splash of good quality olive oil and then the garlic.

Saute the garlic for a few minutes until lightly browned and fragrant.

Add the kale, a small splash of white wine and the salt and pepper and stir. Lower the heat to medium low, cover and cook for another 10 minutes.

Adjust seasoning if needed and serve with some lemon juice squeezed on top.

Recipe courtesy Marc Matsumoto at his blog www.norecipes.com


Farm Events


FARM-B-QUE w/ LIVE BLUEGRASS

~A Stress-Free Event~

at Ridge to Reef Farm

under the waxing moon

w/Seven Handle Circus

 Kiki and the Flaming Gypsies

 Chef Jamison Pollitt

Crucian farm-raised "steam pit" pig roast & vegan farm fresh dishes!

Sunday, March 24, 2013

6:30-11pm  

A Fundraiser for the VI Community Supported Agriculture program!

$20-30 suggested donation at door (volunteer positions also available)

WHAT: A cookout and concert on the lawn to support our activities as a farm! Our organic farm has a 97 shareholding members and growing in our Community Supported Agriculture program (CSA)! We are delivering fresh organic food territory-wide for families and top restaurants. The off-grid solar powered farmstead is a great place to escape the city lights and enjoy the moonlight with sweet bluegrass from Seven Handled Circus, a group of guys who simply kill it! Also Kiki and the Flaming Gypsies will be by the Fireball lighting it up! Chef Jamison Pollitt and Troy Hollebeke will be serving up some tasty eats right out of the garden! This evening is a donation event to support our CSA program. 

WHEN: Arrive as early as 6pm to tour the farm, buffet-style food and music starts 7pm, island time, come a little earlier to help out or walk around.

HOW: Suggested $20-$30 donation for entertainment, local BBQ and all organic farm fresh salad, and organic farm trimmings (vegetarian & vegans included)!

Bring blanket or folding chair for the lawn, and a re-usable cup for your beverage of choice.

We provide compostable plates that will go in a special receptacle for compost materials

If you bring your beer, please bring cans so they can be recycled:) Pack it in, pack it out!

WHERE: Ridge to Reef Farm, Community Center Lawn 

Our road is in decent shape (bumpy pot holes) and we suggest coming up Creque Dam Road from Frederiksted by the waterfalls! Directions:http://www.ridge2reef.org/map--directions.html 


WHAT ELSE: We will have a pre SIGN-UP list for our Spring/Summer 2013 COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE (CSA) program, spaces are limited! Tomatoes, calabash craft, and other farm products will also be available for sale.


WHO: The Band, the farmers, and YOU (family friendly)

*RAIN or SHINE (We hope for rain!!!),

Please return this Email to RSVP:) not required, but helpful so we know how much food to harvest;)


See you here,

Ridge to Reef Farmers

Ridge to Reef Farm / Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute

2011 EPA Environmental Quality Award Winners

http://www.ridge2reef.org

This Week's Harvest

Turnips - hakurei

Eggplant - italian and/or asian

Basil - genovese

Kale - lacinato (dinosaur)

Cherry Tomatoes - sungold &/or black 

Tomatoes - heirloom

Tomatoes - slicers

Parsley - italian flat leaf



Free Farm Stay for CSA Members! (A $125 value!)
 
Do you ever wonder what life at the farm is like? Well, we would love for you to experience it with us! Please take this opportunity to volunteer in the gardens, join us for a community dinner, and retreat to your private cabana after dark...

Call us at 340.220.0466 to make your reservations. See you soon!


THANK YOU HOSTS!

Gifft Hill School
St. John 4-6 pm Thursday


Barefoot Buddha
Havensight, St. Thomas 11 am -1 pm Thursday

Miriam's Restaurant
Christiansted, St. Croix 3-5 pm Saturday


Teres Veho
Frederiksted, St. Croix 2-4 pm Saturday
 

 FARM WISH LIST

Got some things laying around that we can re-use in the CSA?
Last season we received egg cartons, more reusable bags, a blender, some garden hoses, a trash bin, and other great things that we use and were saved from going to the landfill or rotting in a shed. THANK YOU!

• BAGS - (clean, intact and usable) plastic, paper and/or re-usable bags
• T-posts -- the longer the better!
• Good quality scrap lumber -- 2x4's, plywood, etc UNTREATED
• any working garden tools
• coolers
• Banana and Pineapple boxes - intact
• Cash boxes, old cash-register trays
• Produce scales
• your CSA boxes!
• feedback

“An organic farm, properly speaking, is not one that uses certain methods and substances and avoids others; it is a farm whose structure is formed in imitation of the structure of a natural system that has the integrity, the independence and the benign dependence of an organism.”

                                              -Wendell Berry, The Gift of Good Land

Home Grown Tomatoes

It is that time of year that I look forward to, it has finally arrived -Tomato season! I have a confession to make. I hate tomatoes. Well, ok, maybe hate is a strong word, but then again so is the word tomato. Let me explain. 

When I grew up I could not stand tomatoes. I didn’t want them in the salad, not on, in, or around the sandwich, not one the side hiding under some otherwise innocent lettuce. My mom would hold one in front of me and eat it whole with a little salt, a sight I thought I would never recover from. Tomatoes were evil. Weird texture, not much taste, kind of like slicing through foam board and about as delicious. A gruesome obstacle on the way to dessert. By the time I was old enough to pick from my neighbor’s garden or my grandfather’s, I never even gave those a chance.

Then, years later, living on a farm back in Georgia, I had a new experience. For the first time in my life, as far as I could remember, I had a tomato that was not the same like all the others. It had dark, rich color. It was still firm but softer than usual -how would something like this ship? It smelled, well, nice. Like it had its own flavor. I watched everyone joyfully eating the fresh season’s harvest -the “first flush” they called it. In a moment, my tomato ban was cautiously lifted, but I thought only temporarily. It was then that I had something more than a tomato. I had a Cherokee Purple. Or it had me. We had each other. The point is, my disdain for the fruit was splattered forever.

It dawned on me later that day, after I emerged a new man, that I actually had never had a real tomato, since I shunned all after those first experiences. By that time I had learned about hybrids and specific types that were hybridized to the point where they could be picked weeks early (which they cleverly named “mature green tomatoes”), and then gassed in chambers with ethylene before final shipping. The gas is odorless and tasteless, so it’s probably why it fits in so well with those tomatoes. Plus it’s chemically identical to the gas that is normally produced by mature red fruits. So then why does the result taste like cardboard? I don’t really know, but what I do know is they ruined my childhood. Well, ok, maybe not completely, but as a result I did grow up culinarily stunted. 

Back to the future, at the old farmstead from my emergent college years, there were the local tomatoes, many also hybrids, that I found good, but to me none equalled the Cherokee Purple. It’s dark spiral tones sink low, like a mushroom of a mixed hardwood forest, while a thin sweetness weaves through the smokey hinterlands. They were firm enough to be a slicer, but with a softness and green seed coating gel that would run joyfully over my sourdough bread, infusing tiny rivulets of flavor.  I made toasted pecan pesto from the basil, added a little sheep or goat cheese -and that describes my lunch for tomato seasons since. Since then it has also included an ever-expanding repertoire of open-pollinated heirlooms. Brandywine, yellow pear, german striped, the list goes on.  Now it’s toasted coconut and malabar chestnut pesto, with coconut oil!  wow...

Only recently did I find out that my favorite tomato in the world probably was grown by my own ancestors for hundreds of years, in the Northeast Alabama area and East Tennessee in the beginning of the Appalachian mountains. Now the flavors make sense to me. Combined with the soil and water of St. Croix, and the lovely sunshine, it is no wonder they have such a distinctive presence. 

Cheers to the heirlooms, the hybrids, and the volunteers! Cheers to the farmers, carefully watching over and protecting our crop! Cheers to our ancestors, for these and all the foods they cultivated for generations so that we may have joy in life! May we always be able to read the story of our food. 

Ok, I changed my mind. I love tomatoes!

Yours,

Nate & the Ridge to Reef Farm Crew

www.ridge2reef.org



Farm Recipes

 
Heirloom and Cherry Tomato Salad

Ingredients

1 (1/2-pint) basket assorted cherry tomatoes
2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, different colors and sizes
1 shallot, diced fine
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, smashed
Salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Pepper
Green and purple basil leaves, chopped
Lemon cucumbers and torpedo onions, optional

Directions

Stem the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half. Core the larger tomatoes and cut them into slices or wedges.

For the vinaigrette, macerate the shallot in the vinegar with the garlic and a little salt. Whisk in the oil. Taste and adjust the acidity and salt as necessary. Put the tomatoes in a shallow salad bowl or on a platter. Season with salt and pepper, strew on the chopped basil leaves, and carefully dress with the vinaigrette.

Thin slices of peeled lemon cucumber and torpedo onion are wonderful additions to the salad.

For a more elegant tomato salad, slice perfectly ripe heirloom tomatoes and arrange them on a platter. Season with salt and pepper, a splash of good Champagne, and a generous drizzle or extra-virgin olive oil.

Recipe Courtesy Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, from the Food Network site
 

Sauteed Hakurei Turnips and Greens
Ingredients

1 or 2 bunches Hakurei turnips with greens
2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
 
Directions

Trim the stems and root ends from the turnips. Rinse and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Set aside. Trim most of the stems from the greens; discard. Wash the leafy greens, drain, and cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces. Set aside.
 
In a saute pan over high heat, heat the oil. Add the turnips, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook without stirring for 2 minutes, until lightly browned on 1 side. Turn and cook on another side for 2 more minutes, without stirring, until lightly browned. Turn again and cook 1 more minute. Add the greens and cook, stirring, until wilted and bright green, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Recipe adapted from Deborah Geering's in Atlanta magazine

Cool and Crunchy Radish and Spring Turnip Salad

Ingredients

12 small radishes, thinly sliced
3 small salad/spring turnips, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon olive oil 
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
juice of half a lime
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
coarse kosher or sea salt, to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and stir gently but thoroughly to combine and coat all the slices. Taste and season with salt (you’ll need salt — start with a little pinch and gradually add it until the flavors “pop” as much as you like.)

Recipe adapted from the blog Eggs on Sunday by Amy.

This Week's Harvest

Turnips - hakurei

Radishes - pink, purple &/or red

Lettuce - green or red leaf

Salad Mix - gourmet lettce blend

Cherry Tomatoes - sungold & black 

Tomatoes - heirloom

Tomatoes - slicers

Cilantro - caribe


Free Farm Stay for CSA Members! (A $125 value!)
 
Do you ever wonder what life at the farm is like? Well, we would love for you to experience it with us! Please take this opportunity to volunteer in the gardens, join us for a community dinner, and retreat to your private cabana after dark...

Call us at 340.220.0466 to make your reservations. See you soon!


THANK YOU HOSTS!

Gifft Hill School
St. John 4-6 pm Thursday


Barefoot Buddha
Havensight, St. Thomas 11 am -1 pm Thursday

Miriam's Restaurant
Christiansted, St. Croix 3-5 pm Saturday

Teres Veho
Frederiksted, St. Croix 2-4 pm Saturday
 

FARM WISH LIST

Got some things laying around that we can re-use in the CSA?
Last season we received egg cartons, more reusable bags, a blender, some garden hoses, a trash bin, and other great things that we use and were saved from going to the landfill or rotting in a shed. THANK YOU!

• BAGS - plastic, paper and/or re-usable bags
• T-posts -- the longer the better!
• Good quality scrap lumber -- 2x4's, plywood, etc UNTREATED
• any working garden tools
• coolers
• Banana and Pineapple boxes - intact
• Cash boxes, old cash-register trays
• Produce scales
• your CSA boxes!
• feedback

Monday night we experienced our first significant rain in over a month.  We got about 0.7 inches here in the rainforest, which was great for the vegetables.  Already plants are putting on succulent new growth and drinking up the abundant, evenly distributed soil moisture.

Under dry conditions, we water our crops with drip irrigation.  Unlike home and garden scale drip irrigation systems, we use a product commonly called “T-tape” which was originally developed in Israel for water conservation in agriculture.  T-tape has the advantage of getting water to the plants’ root zone with very little waste to evaporation.  Compared to overhead watering systems like sprinklers, we save a lot of water using T-tape. 

It might seem strange that we choose to grow vegetables during the driest months in St. Croix.  Cruzan farmers, and farmers worldwide, have long recognized the advantages of growing during the dry season.  While rain is a source of life and energy, rainfall can also cause a lot of problems with annual vegetables.  Here on St. Croix, rain means bugs and fungal diseases. Some of these critters are harmless, beautiful and beneficial to the farm, but many are nuisances and can be devastating to crops. 

Lepidopterans, or moths and butterflies, flourish during the rainy season due to the prevalence of flowers and nectar, which they need for energy.  These insects lay their eggs on a variety of crops, and it is their larvae, called caterpillars, that cause damage.  Right now our lepidopteran pressure is relatively low, due to the lack of wild flowers, but we expect to see a rise in activity in the summer as the rains return.

Rain also brings disease problems.  Just one day of rain has caused an outbreak of mildew, a destructive fungus, to take hold on a small section of our okra.  While this will likely not be a problem in the drier weeks to come, prolonged rains can create the moist conditions perfect for fungal growth.

The choice to farm organically means working with nature and ecosystem variations.  We can grow a variety of familiar and delicious vegetables during the winter because of favorable environmental conditions.  We choose not to use toxic, dangerous pesticides that might allow us to continue growing during this time.  This plant-positive approach also means we get good crops without expensive inputs, which is important for the viability of our small farm.

Right now, the plants are vibrant, happy, and clearly healthy, so a little rain was just what they needed.  It definitely saves us a lot of time running around and watering everything!  I hope you enjoy eating the bounty of produce as much as we enjoyed growing it.

Jim Marzluff & the crew @ Ridge to Reef Farm

www.ridge2reef.org 

Farm Recipes

Heirloom Tomato Salad
INGREDIENTS

1 pound ripe juicy tomatoes, heirloom varieties if possible
1/2 clove garlic
1 tablespoon balsamic or red wine vinegar
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste
2 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
handful fresh basil leaves

1. Wash and core tomatoes and cut into thick slices or wedges.

2. Peel the garlic. In the salad bowl or platter you wish to use, rub the garlic, using the tips of a fork, to make a puree. Add the vinegar and oil. Then add the tomatoes, tossing gently to coat with dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Slice mozzarella and tuck decoratively in and around the tomatoes. Scatter top of salad with basil leaves.

Serves 4.


Recipe adapted from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters, founder of the restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA which uses seasonal, organic produce.

Pasta with Roasted Eggplant and Tomato

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large eggplant, or two smaller Japanese eggplants
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 pound pasta
• Sherry vinegar
• 1 cup diced tomato
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the eggplant in 1/2 inch cubes. Toss them with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large bowl until they are coated. Place them on a roasting pan in a single layer and roast for 25 or until they are soft.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook the pasta according to instructions on the box. Drain. 
3. Heat a large skillet to medium. Pour in the other 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the onion and saute until they are starting to color. Add the garlic, cook for 30 seconds, and then deglaze the pan with a splash of Sherry vinegar. 
4. Dump the eggplant into the skillet along with the diced tomato, red pepper flakes, and basil. Bring the mixture to a simmer then add the pasta. Toss until the pasta is coated. Season with salt and sprinkle with the parsley.

Serves 2.

Recipe adapted from  Nick Kindelsperger, co-founder of The Paupered Chef, a blog dedicated to saving time and money while enjoying food in every way possible. 
 

Storage Tips:
 
Tomatoes - Tomatoes don't like refrigeration- instead of the fridge, keep them in a cool spot (around 55-60 degrees) out of direct sunlight.  If your tomatoes are ripe, enjoy them immediately. If they still have green shoulders, they will ripen fully in a day or two.

Cucumbers- Store in the refrigerator, however avoid extreme cold temperatures. Cucumbers like to be kept around 45-50 degrees.
 
Lettuce - loves cool temperatures! Keep it refrigerated.

Eggplant - is best when kept at around 50 degrees, which is warmer than your refrigerator! Try storing in a very cool spot out of direct sunlight, or keep in the fridge, but eat them within a few days. 
 

For more storage tips, check out this handy flyer!
 

This Week's Harvest

Tomatoes
Eggplant
Turnips - Hakurei
Cucumbers
Bok Choy
Arugula
Lettuce
Basil
 
 









 

Free Farm Stay for CSA Members! (A $125 value!)
 
Do you ever wonder what life at the farm is like? Well, we would love for you to experience it with us! Please take this opportunity to volunteer in the gardens, join us for a community dinner, and retreat to your private cabana after dark...

Call us at 340.220.0466 to make your reservations. See you soon!


THANK YOU HOSTS!

Gifft Hill School
St. John 4-6 pm Thursday


Barefoot Buddha
Havensight, St. Thomas 11 am -1 pm Thursday

Miriam's Restaurant
Christiansted, St. Croix 3-5 pm Saturday


Teres Veho
Frederiksted, St. Croix 2-4 pm Saturday
 

 FARM WISH LIST

Got some things laying around that we can re-use in the CSA?
Last season we received egg cartons, more reusable bags, a blender, some garden hoses, a trash bin, and other great things that we use and were saved from going to the landfill or rotting in a shed. THANK YOU!

• BAGS - plastic, paper and/or re-usable bags
• T-posts -- the longer the better!
• Good quality scrap lumber -- 2x4's, plywood, etc UNTREATED
• any working garden tools
• coolers
• Banana and Pineapple boxes - intact
• Cash boxes, old cash-register trays
• Produce scales
• your CSA boxes!
• feedback