Dear CSA Summer Season members,

We are thrilled to bring you a consecutive season of Community Supported Agriculture here in the Virgin Islands! 

Here at Ridge to Reef Farm, we work very hard every week to make sure you get a taste of what local organic food is all about. Our main mission here is quality: for you, for our shared environment, and for our communities on all three islands and as one Territorial family.

This CSA is different than most, as you will certainly see this summer, because not only do we have seasonal veggies, but we have fruits and roots and much more to make your kitchen a place of flavor and freshness.

You will see a variety of things every week, and I promise the more you volunteer with us the more you will see! Check out the volunteer opportunities on the right-side column of this newsletter and come lend us a hand for a half day. The phrase "many hands make light work" never made more sense than on our permaculture farm.

Although eggplants might not be too unfamiliar to most, it's our WTF item this week because we grow many of the heat tolerant varieties, which tend to have more flavor than those you see in the supermarket. Not only are the varieties choice, but they are still cooling from the sun, just picked for you.

Remember, the CSA is a shared-risk investment, and we expect there to be losses as well as new fruits from our labors. Already, there has been one casualty -tomatoes. A late spring blight has already reduced them to withered stems. We had our doubts already, but this confirmed that this year is a tough year for certain diseases on nightshades. However, the eggplants are doing wonderful!

This is the first ever CSA in a summer season for the Virgin Islands, so we embark on a journey together toward new frontiers of local food as a community! Without you, this would not be possible.   

We wish you and your kitchen the best CSA season, and we hope you remember to share trying our weekly recipes on people. Tell them it's local and organic, and that there will be a lot more of it coming the in the future, due to the fact that you are supporting it today. Trust me, Frandelle knows what to do with eggplant! Her recipe below is a winner that always has us coming back for more when she brings her dish to us at the farm:)

Thank you for being a food lover and advocate. We were pleased to have so many returning members and the new ones we will get to know. The waiting list is deep, and already we are thinking of how we can make the CSA meet the needs of more Virgin Islanders!

How do you think we all can make this happen? 

to the health of all we,

Nate

WTF (What's That Food)? 

This week's strange food item: Eggplants

Also known as aubergine, melongene, brinjal or guinea squash (Solanum melongena), eggplants are part of the nightshades family. It is closely related to tomatoes as well as potatoes and is native to India.

The eggplants that you are holding in your hands have already been planted in January and now they have been harvested just for you. 

We are growing four different varieties at the moment. They are called "Traviata", "Rosa Bianca", "Black Beauty" and "Listada di Gandia".


How to use it:

It is used in many Asian and Eurpean kitchens. So there a multiple ways to prepare them. Eggplants can be sliced and deep-fried, then served with or without yogurt as in the Turkish cuisine.

It can be roasted in its skin until charred, so the pulp can be removed and blended with other ingredients, such as lemon, tahini, and garlic, as in the Middle Eastern dish baba ghanoush.

The fruit can also be stuffed with meat, rice, or other fillings and then baked. 

Salting, rinsing and draining of the sliced fruit (known as "degorging") reduces the amount of oil absorbed during the cooking.

Recipe

Eggplant Casserole 
by Frandelle Gerard

You need:
2 lbs eggplant, peeled, cut into 1inch pieces
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/4 cup diced red pepper
4-6 basil leaves - thinly cut
1/4 cup grated parmesan 
1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese 
2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup itallian bread crumbs
1 tsp butter
1-2 large tomatos thinly sliced
salt to taste

Steam eggplant until tender, drain and mash. Add butter, scallions, pepper and basil. Mix well then add eggs and bread crumbs and mix.
Butter a baking dish, line pan with sliced tomatoes, add eggplant mixture. Top with sliced tomates, top with cheeses.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 20-30 min or until cheese is lightly brown. Serve and enjoy.
(This receipe is inspired by The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas 1972 - no copyright infringement intended.)

Meet the Farmer...

"Hello my name is Sarah Waffle Woofer Feather Foot. I am a Buff Pullet Bantam. My ancestors came from a province which was known as "Banten Province" and was once a seaport in Indonesia. Europeans liked our size and just took us with them on their sail boats. And now you see, I ended up on St. Croix on a farm with a few others of my sort. I am a trader now: I exchange my eggs for food.

So, if you receive any small eggs, they came from me! Remember it comes from by far the cutest of all the chickens on the farm,... and one of the smallest. "

~ Jess, farm staff

From the field...

The crew is constantly removing weeds and vines from the fruit trees and vegetables that are grown on the farm. Nate gave and is still giving the farm property a hair cut on the tractor while it is nice and sunny.

Cowitch or also known as Mucuna pruriens (scientific name) tries to take over the farm property. Pruriens is a Latin word and means "itching sensation". For a reason; Its seed pods grow little hairs that fly through the air and produces itchiness on contact. Even though it can have great medicinal value we are trying to ban this invasive plant from the valley.

Apart from weeds, there are also animals and bugs that we are dealing with at the moment. Pest pressure is high and deer is getting through our fencing to have a snack here and there. Mongoose are still stealing eggs and attacking chickens from time to time.

Some plants are thriving nontheless. Passion fruits and mangoes are ripening every day. Eggplants and peppers are fruiting and beautiful flowers are covering the farm. The weather is perfect for working in the fields and on the tractor.

~ Nadja, former apprentice


PO Box 2903 - Frederiksted USVI 00841 - www.visfi.org - [email protected] - 340 220 0466
Ridge to Reef Farm @ the Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute

Farmer of the week






Jess our master of the kitchen and landscaping in the process of getting bedding for our lovely chickens.


The Week's Harvest

Eggplants
Green Bananas
Green Papayas
Ovations Greens
Sprouts
Okra
Mangoes
Cucumbers
Passion Fruits
Malabar Spinach
Pepper
Basil



We need your help, we need your hands!

Volunteer at Ridge to Reef Farm

Farming with a small crew trying to provide organic and local food for a big community isn't always easy. You can help us by joining our VOLUNTEER days every Saturday from 7:30 am to 11:30 am. A group cooked lunch with mostly ingredients from the farm will be the reward for hungry farmers and gives the opportunity to lean back and relax.

Bring your family, bring your friends and enjoy spending time in nature, having fun by being part of a great vision. We gladly welcome every person who finds the way up to the farm!


THANK YOU HOSTS!

Pick-up times

Polly's at the Pier Frederiksted, St. Croix 
Wed 3:30-5:30pm

Barefoot Buddha Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas 
Thurs 11:30am-1:30 pm 

Miriam's Restaurant Christiansted, St. Croix 
Sun 4 -5:30pm


M2M (member to member)

We invite you to take part in the creation of our weekly newsletters.

Share your recipes and pictures, your experiences with the R2R Farm or your thoughts on sustainable farming matters.

We then will do our best to fit it in and share it in one of our upcoming newsletters.

We look forward to your responses!


Wishlist 

Got some things laying around we can re-use in the CSA

• Mongoose traps
• compost toilets
• egg cartons
  
• shallow, sturdy plastic trays for upcoming tomato harvest
  
• milk crates
  
• coolers
  
• zip-locks
  
• popsicle sticks
  
• tarps

• any working garden tools
  
• generator, chainsaw, weed-eater
  
• carpentry
  
• sign-making
  
• massages :)
  
• your CSA bags
  
• feedback

ou helped us:

- to employ Jacob, Matt and Jess.

- repair farming equipment.

- buy tools.

- supply healthy and organic food.

- to execute our mission "Seeding beneficial relationships to inspire abundance, creativity, and joy"

Since this was our first round of CSA we would extremely appreciate your feedback (best via email) in order to offer you the service you deserve!

Your opinion is important to us!

Chickens are not only entertaining our guests as well as us and eating centipedes, no they are actually working much more. Aside from laying eggs, they cut grass and weeds, they they loosen the soil by scratching and they fertilize with their feces. All of these skills are made use of in the so-called chicken "tractors". 

Tractors basically are moveable coops without a floor and are used to manage our little workers' efforts. In the tractors they are able to apply their skills and do the work that usually is attributed to a modern farm tractor. 

This can lead to prepared soil and enhanced growth of later planted crops and trees.

From the field...

Alison Gilbert arrived yesterday and will be part of our crew for the following 3 weeks. She has been participating in the Summer Youth Program at Ridge to Reef Farm in 2009 and found her way back to paradise.

The crew is planting and seeding for the next CSA season. A rain cover for seedling has been built.

Bold rooster Johnson had to listen to Patrick's reasoning and was sent back to his ladies behind the fence. 

~ Nadja, apprentice

PO Box 2903 - Frederiksted USVI 00841 - www.visfi.org - [email protected] - 340 220 0466
Ridge to Reef Farm @ the Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute

The Week's Harvest

Beans or Cucumbers
Lettuce Heads
Kale or Collards or Swiss Chard
Carrots
Eggplants
Jalapeno Hot Peppers
Green Bananas
Green Papaya
Tomatoes
Cilantro
Basil

Farm Recipes

Papaya Noodles
by Nadja

You need:
Green Papaya (peeled)
Eggs
Vegetable Oil (for frying)
Whole Wheat Flour
Noodles
Soy Sauce
Milk
Olive Oil
Onions
Salt, Pepper
Chili

Directions:

1. Cut the peeled papayas in slices and boil in hot water until consistency softened. Bring water for noodles to a boil and cook acc. to package instructions.

2. Sift papayas. Heat vegetable oil in a pan. Put half of the slices of papaya first in mixed eggs (seasoned with salt and pepper), then in flour and then fry in pan from both sides.

3. Heat olive oil and stir-fry onions. Add battered papaya slices and heat for a moment.

4. Put soy sauce, a bit of milk, chili in a pot and thicken with a little flour. Then add noodles and rest of sliced papayas.

5. Serve noodle mix with battered papaya-onion mix on top. Enjoy.

THANK YOU HOSTS!

Pick-up times

Polly's at the Pier Frederiksted, St. Croix 
Wed 3:30-5:30pm

Barefoot Buddha Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas 
Thurs 11:30am-1:30 pm 

Miriam's Restaurant Christiansted, St. Croix 
Sun 4 -5:30pm


M2M (member to member)

We invite you to take part in the creation of our weekly newsletters.

Share your recipes and pictures, your experiences with the R2R Farm or your thoughts on sustainable farming matters.

We then will do our best to fit it in and share it in one of our upcoming newsletters.

We look forward to your responses!


Wishlist 

Got some things laying around we can re-use in the CSA

• egg cartons
  
• shallow, sturdy plastic trays for upcoming tomato harvest
  
• milk crates
  
• coolers
  
• zip-locks
  
• popsicle sticks
  
• tarps

• any working garden tools
  
• generator, chainsaw, weed-eater
  
• carpentry
  
• sign-making
  
• massages :)
  
• your CSA bags
  
• feedback

Farmers always have to think a season ahead, and as we enjoy the last few weeks of this season we are already tasting what's to come next. With some purple and yellow orbs already leading the way, there are plenty of falling passion fruits forecasted for CSA season II. Passiflora is one of those fruits that I think in Latin means summertime fun. Oh, and "here come the smoothies." Ever had a banana passionfruit mango surinam cherry smoothie?" It is the Ridge to Reef summertime breakfast!

Summer is the time when we have the most variety of the season and we can't wait to see the seasonal progression of the upcoming weekly bags loaded with certified organic local fruits and vegetables. 

Summer is also the time when we get to be kids again, and welcome campers from across North America and St. Croix. They will again be converging on Ridge to Reef Farm for a Caribbean farm-life living experience. 

At our CSA Appreciation BBQ we got some wonderfully sweet local watermelons from a neighbor farmer and saved their seed to attempt a late summer crop for season II. No promises, but we are excited to try it out despite the pressures on cucurbits that time of year. 

We still have ample room in the CSA for Season II for returning members! If you have not registered and wish to do so, please do it this week before we promote the CSA season II publicly. We did have some problems with the sign-up form last week, but it is fixed and accessible at: http://ridgetoreef.csasignup.com/members 

Finally, we invite YOUR feedback about this season. Instead of a questionnaire, we thought we would ask for a simple paragraph of your experience in your own words. Also, all suggestions for improvements and what to keep are always so immensely helpful! If we can share your feedback on our website and marketing, please let us know. After all, you are a charter member of the Ridge to Reef Farm CSA program, and your input will shape the direction of our CSA for years to come! Please send your feedback to [email protected]. 

Special thanks to those who came out and rocked with us for the Farm-B-Q and Big Guns Rock, the show was great and so was the food! Thanks to Tahirah Abu-Bakr and Pablo Reyes for the BBQ casseroles, roasted pork, and Jessica Erwin for some amazing cooking! Also, thank you members who came to eat with us in our kitchen. We look forward to seasons of growth together!

Passionately,

Nate

Member 2 Member 

THE RECORD - 13 CSA ingredients, one meal!

by Diana and Rustin Cameron

CSA Use-up Curry
 
CSA Bounty                 We use stems, peels, and all unless noted
Tat Soi                         Entire bunch, shredded
Mizuna                        Entire bunch, shredded
Bok Choy                    I had only rind left, sliced thin
Green Tomatoes         The more the better, sliced thin!!!!
Pole Beans                   Entire bunch, sliced thin lengthwise ‘julienne’
Green Papaya              1 Peeled, deseeded, then shredded
Basil                              Entire bunch 
Turmeric                       Large hunk, pealed
Lemon Grass                Blended paste from previous week, 1 Tbsp?
Green Onion                6 Whole (we include roots and all) 
Chilies                          2 Deseeded, stem removed 
Sugar Cane                  As simple syrup from previous week, 1 Tbsp?
Moringa Powder          sprinkled in ~ 1 Tbsp

Non-CSA Ingredients
Ginger                           Medium hunk, pealed
Cumin                           A good bit
Cinnamon Stick          A good bit, grated on micro planer
Curry                             A good bit, I used green paste 
                                        but to each their own
Coconut Milk              3 Cups
Garlic                            10 Cloves, peeled then minced
Red Onion                    1 Large, peeled then sliced thin
Garbanzo Beans          2 Cups, cooked
 
Optional
Chicken                           1 lb, sliced thin * 
Brown Rice                     To serve curry over


Basic Methodology 
To make the sauce, blend until smooth: Basil, Turmeric, Lemon Grass paste, Green Onion, Chilies, Sugar Cane syrup, Moringa Powder, Ginger, Cumin, Cinnamon, Curry, and Coconut Milk.  Set sauce aside.    
 
In a big deep skillet heat a splash of oil on medium heat.  Sauté veggies until soft. I went Red Onions and Garlic till soft.  Added Pole Beans and Green Papaya cooked covered until soft. Then added Green Tomatoes and Garbanzo Beans for a few minutes before adding Tat Soi, Mizuna, and Bok Choy along with the Sauce. Finally reducing to simmer until everything was nicely thickened and cooked together. Throw over brown rice & eat. Also surprisingly tasty served cold either over rice, in a wrap, or on a salad of lettuce.  
 
*If you are adding chicken: Pour just enough blended sauce over sliced raw chicken to cover and let sit for 30 minutes to marinate then cook chicken in small batches spreading pieces out in the pan so they are not crowded. Brown for a few minutes on each side. When the chicken pieces are cooked and no pink remains, remove from pan. Use the same pan to cook the veggies as above but add the cooked chicken and remainder of the sauce back to the pan at the same point you add the last batch of veggies.
 
Oh yes, my personal waffling statement: I have a hard time with recipes.  Cooking uses so many of my senses but often bypasses my brain so at the table if there is an enthusiastic reception and the question of, “what’s in here” I am reduced to checking my cutting board to investigate what went in the pot.   Thus all elements are estimates, and most likely results are not exactly replicable, isn’t that nice?  We just ended up loving this dish and were so excited that it could represent such tastiness from all our CSA odds and ends lingering around the kitchen. Cheers! 

From the field...

We had some nice showers the last week which releaves our irrigation needs but along with the rain and clouds come difficult times for our alternative energy system.

Nearly 100% of the corn germinated. We received a new part for our seeder that was broken which will help us to sow seeds much faster. The Earth Way Push Seeder is a relatively inexpensive tool but saves us an immense amount of labour time.

We're steadily progressing towards a veggie field for the second CSA season. [and the mangoes are on their way!]

~ Nadja, former farm apprentice


PO Box 2903 - Frederiksted USVI 00841 - www.visfi.org - [email protected] - 340 220 0466
Ridge to Reef Farm @ the Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute

Member Emily Graci gets the first course of watermelon, banana chips, salad, and more all laid out by Tahirah Abu-Bakr, Jess Erwin, and many others at the CSA Appreciation Farm-B-Q last Saturday.

Pablo Reyes, part time R2R staffer and VI Agriculture Dept.''s chief butcher, keeps the our farm raised pig (from Solomon's farm) and goat (ours) legs spinning for the CSA Appreciation Farm-B-Q. The rest of the goat became an amazing traditional VI goat water!

The Week's Harvest

Tatsoi
Lettuce Heads
Cucumbers
Bananas
Malabar Spinach
Swiss Chard
Papayas
Tomatoes
Beans
Basil
Cilantro

Farm Recipes

Chaya Quiche
By Nadja (based on the "Joy of Cooking")

You need:
For the dough:
½ cup chilled butter plus 3 tablespoons lard
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
5 to 6 tablespoons cold water

For the topping:
2 cups milk or cream
1 cup shredded cheese
1 onion, chopped in cubes
3-4 eggs
bunch of Chaya (boiled for 15 minutes), cut in slices
salt, paprika, nutmeg


Directions
1.    Mix the ingredients for the dough and spread it out in a buttered form. Make sure that you have dough standing out on the sides so the liquid topping will stay inside. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 F.

2.    Beat the eggs and mix it with milk and the seasoning.
Get the dough out of the oven and put the egg-milk mixture on top. Add the chopped onion, the sliced Chaya and the chredded cheese. Put back in the oven for about 30 more minutes. Check on it when it starts to smell good. Serve warm or cold. Enjoy.

THANK YOU HOSTS!

Pick-up times

Polly's at the Pier Frederiksted, St. Croix 
Wed 3:30-5:30pm

Barefoot Buddha Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas 
Thurs 11:30am-1:30 pm 

Miriam's Restaurant Christiansted, St. Croix 
Sun 4 -5:30pm


M2M (member to member)

We invite you to take part in the creation of our weekly newsletters.

Share your recipes and pictures, your experiences with the R2R Farm or your thoughts on sustainable farming matters.

We then will do our best to fit it in and share it in one of our upcoming newsletters.

We look forward to your responses!


Wishlist 

Got some things laying around we can re-use in the CSA

• Mongoose traps
• compost toilets
• egg cartons
  
• shallow, sturdy plastic trays for upcoming tomato harvest
  
• milk crates
  
• coolers
  
• zip-locks
  
• popsicle sticks
  
• tarps

• any working garden tools
  
• generator, chainsaw, weed-eater
  
• carpentry
  
• sign-making
  
• massages :)
  
• your CSA bags
  
• feedback