You have another young coconut in your share today, which should be easier to open after honing your skills on last week’s slightly more mature green coconut!

There is a soursop (Annona muricata) in your share that is ripe or almost ripe. They are ready to eat when completely soft. Try eating it by scooping the flesh out with a spoon. It also makes a delicious juice, shake or ice-cream. Just remove the seeds from the pulp and blend until smooth. Add your favorite sweetner and milk. 

The bananas today are a variety that is best cooked – once ripe, try them fried, mashed, or baked for a sweet or savory treat.

The mangoes are mostly Manzana and Julie, with some Asian varieties that are starting to mature now.

The sour oranges are packed with Vitamin C and other nutrients – try making an orangeade drink with a little bit of sweetener (honey, sugar, stevia or agave), or use it in place of lemon or lime in any dish. 

Have a fruitful week!

Claudia & the crew at Ridge to Reef Farm

Harvest from the Field 

We had a bountiful first harvest from our cucumber crop, and are glad to share it with you. We are growing mostly Asian thin-skinned slicing cucumbers, as well as some American slicing cucumbers. These are large, sweet and juicy – no need to peel the skin (unless you want to!). One of the benefits of choosing organic produce is you don’t have to worry about ingesting any harmful chemicals or pesticides that are generally used on conventionally grown crops. We only use all-natural, certified organic insect controls like pure Neem oil to maintain productive fields.

Chaya, or Mayan Spinach, is a remarkably nutritious green vegetable packed with protein, iron, calcium and more. Chaya must be pre-cooked before eating, in order to remove naturally occurring but toxic cyanide compounds. It is quite simple to prepare – just remove the petioles (stems) from the leaves, then boil the leaves in water (just enough to cover) in a pot for 10-20 minutes. Then prepare it as you would any other green vegetable, like kale or spinach. It is delicious puréed into dips and spreads, or sautéed with olive oil and garlic. Check out our "What's That Food" column for more information. 

Malabar spinach is a plant that’s made for the tropics. It loves the heat, will tolerate rain and drought and excels in less than ideal growing conditions. The plant can be eaten at various stages of growth – the young leaves can be eaten in salads, the more mature leaves are delicious thinly sliced and cooked, and the young tips and shoots are great raw, stir-fried or cooked in a soup. Today you have a bag full of Malabar spinach tips – think of the vine or stem as a vegetable like chard, celery or bok choy, whose stems and ribs are delicious, tender and crunchy. Don’t forget to eat the leaves too! Check out this website for more information on Malabar spinach.

Green papaya is great in Asian slaws and curries. It's also known as a great tenderizer, due to its papain content - check out this website for more details on how to use this vegetable. 

Garlic chives are a perennial herb that can be used like chives, scallions or green onions. Use the whole bunch – just chop it up and cook or eat raw. As the name suggests, they have a garlic flavor – try it as a substitute for garlic or onions in any recipe.

Coriander is a spice that is an excellent addition to many international dishes. Use it whole or grind it with a mortar and pestle, coffee grinder, or the flat bottom of a hammer or any other similar object. Coriander is the seed of the cilantro plant – while reminiscent of cilantro, it has a distinguishing and complex flavor.

We also want to remind you that there will be no CSA delivery on Thursday, July 4th due to the holiday and shipping restrictions. CSA will resume the following Thursday July 11th.

Thank you for growing with us!

Claudia & the crew at Ridge to Reef Farm

Chaya

Chaya (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius), also called Mayan Spinach, Tree Spinach and Mexican Spinach, is a perrenial tropical shrub native to the Mexico, and a proflific producer of nutrient-dense green leaves. It has been used in the traditional cuisine of Central America and southern Mexico since pre-Columbian times, and is still consumed widely today. Chaya is high in protein, calcium, iron, beta carotene and vitamins A, B and C - significantly more so than most other green leaf vegetables.

The leaves should be chopped and boiled for about 10 minutes prior to eating due to the presence of hydrocyanic glycosides, which are removed by cooking (HCN boils off as a gas, making the broth and leaves suitable for consumption).

After the initial boiling, Chaya is often strained, then prepared and seasoned just like cooked spinach in meals like lasagna, pizza, eggs and burritos. Previously boiled and drained chaya can also be fried or sautéed in oil with onion and tomatoes. Some traditional preparation include Dzotobilchay (Chaya Tamales), Pibxcatic (stuffed chilies) and tacos filled with boiled, fried chaya, cooked with tomato and chilies then rolled in roasted pumpkin seeds.

Farm Recipes

SIMPLEST CUCUMBER SALAD

(2-3) fresh cucumbers
up to (1/2) cup chopped fresh garlic chives
up to (1/4) cup chopped fresh parsley leaves (optional)
(1/4) cup lemon vinaigrette (see below)
black pepper & salt to taste


LEMON VINAIGRETTE:
(1/4) cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
(1/2) cup olive or vegetable oil
(1 tbsp) sweetener or sugar
(1/2) tsp salt


Start by washing the cucumbers well and peeling them decoratively as desired.

Slice all the cucumbers cross wise into slices 1⁄2 inch thick, or as thick or thin as you’d like! Add to a salad bowl and prepare the remaining ingredients. Chop the chives and parsley both fine using a chopping knife, taking care to use the knife safely. Add the herbs to the cucumbers and mix gently.

Next, prepare the vinaigrette. Get a clean jar with a lid (or a container with a lid) and measure (1/2) cup vegetable or or olive oil into the jar. Juice the lemons and strain the seeds. Measure (1/4) cup of lemon juice in to the jar and then add the sugar and salt. Now shake it up! (With the lid on of course!)

Before serving, pour (1/4) cup of the dressing over the cucumber mixture and stir well with a spoon. Serve with salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe courtesy the blog: In Pursuit of More 




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
Garlic Chives, 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 greenpapaya 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 juliennedpapaya 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 chives, and roasted cashews or peanuts as garnish, and enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of the blog Passionate Eater




MALABAR SPINACH SOUP

Ingredients:

Malabar Spinach (stem and leaves, finely chopped) - 2-4 cups
Water or Vegetable stock - 6 cups
Onions (chopped) - 1/2 cup
Vegetable Bouillon cube - 1
Salt - As per taste
Oil - For frying
Noodles (Uncooked) - 1/2 cup

Directions:

Heat oil in a saucepan and saute onions till they are browned and fried well. Add the chopped Spinach, let them wilt a little for 5 minutes. Add the soup cube, salt, water and noodles which are not cooked. Do not add too much salt as cubes essentially carry sodium. Bring to boil and simmer on low flame for 15 minutes. Turn off flame after the vegatable and noodles are completely done and cooked. You will notice a profound color change in the Spinach once its cooked, the broth would have a dark mossy green color. Turn off flame and serve hot with Crackers or warm Italian Bread.

  

SAUTÉED YUCATECAN GREENS

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbs. (45 ml) olive oil
• 4 oz. (114g) slab bacon, cut into large dice (optional)
• 1 large red onion
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 large (or several small) sweet pepper, seeded and diced
• 8 cups (2 liters) chaya leaves, thick stems removed and coarsely chopped (Substitute: spinach, Swiss chard, kale)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

IN A LARGE SKILLET, heat olive oil and bacon until bacon is cooked. Remove bacon and set aside to drain. Reduce heat and add onion, garlic and bell pepper and cook until softened. Add chaya and cover. Cook 20-25 minutes or until chaya is tender, stirring occasionally. Return bacon to skillet and toss to incorporate. Check seasonings and serve.

Recipe courtesy Los-Dos cooking school




CHAYA QUICHE

INGREDIENTS

For the dough
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons chilled butter or vegetable shortening
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

Mix the ingredients for the dough and spread it out in a buttered pie dish. 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.

Beat the eggs and mix 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 shredded 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.

Recipe by Nadja Hofmann, former apprentice (based on the "Joy of Cooking")




CHAYA CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS

3 cups chopped and cooked chaya

4 tbsp chopped onion

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup milk

½ cup bread crumbs or ground bread

2 tbsp butter

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Mix together the chaya, onion, salt and pepper; stir the eggs into the milk and add to the chaya mixture and place in a greased glass casserole, sprinkle the top with the bread crumbs and butter. Bake at 220 degrees for 15 minutes.

Recipe courtesy Urban Harvest





ARROZ CON CHAYA

INGREDIENTS

1 cup water

½ tsp pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp vegetable stock granules

1 lime

½ cup long-grain rice

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lb chaya, steamed and chopped

DIRECTIONS

In saucepan, combine water, onion, garlic, oregano, chicken stock, and pepper. Bring to a boil; stir in rice, reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in cooked chaya. Cover and cook 5-10 minutes more until the rice is tender. Stir lightly with a fork and mix in lime juice. May be served hot or cold.

Recipe courtesy Vegetarian Recipes of the Yucatan

Everyone this week is receiving a single coconut - don't be alarmed by its hard exterior, they are easier to open than you might think! These coconuts have delicious, nutritious water inside, and young meat called "jelly". Everyone at the farm has their favorite way to open coconuts - Jim likes using a cordless drill, for efficient and effective access to the tasty coconut water. Nate likes practicing his bush skills by using a sharp machete to chop off one end until the coconut breaks open. Tell us your preferred method!

You'll also find some papaya in your box - if not fully ripe yet, allow a few days until it is still firm but smells sweet, yields slightly to pressure and has a blush of color. Eat it fresh or blend it in a smoothie.

Gooseberries are making an appearance again this week - remember, they are the white fruits that must be cooked before eating. They are comparable to cranberries - they are usually stewed with sugar as a kind of sauce, or made into a jam. You can always freeze them and use them later, for a special meal.

The small pink fruits are Wax Apples, also called love apple, java apple and rose apple, among other names. Eat them fresh like an apple - the fruits are refreshing and have a mild, sweet floral flavor.  

The mangoes are mostly Julie and Manzana varieties again, from the Kai Lawaetz Orchard and Garden of Ridge to Reef Farm. These have sweet, smooth flesh and minimal stringiness. Use them green or ripe - allow up to a week for fully ripe mangoes.

Have a fruitful week,

Claudia & the crew at Ridge to Reef Farm

From the Field

We've been keeping busy at the farm tending to all of the CSA crops in between (and during!) the recent rains. The plentitude of water means we can take a break from irrigating the fields, but also brings about unwanted weeds, insects and diseases that are challenging to manage in our organic system.

This week we harvested bananas and mangoes for your fill of fruit. Remember, we pick these fruits mature but green - allow up to a week or more for them to ripen fully. You can also use them green in savory dishes like mango chutney, green mango salsa, green "fig" pie and mashed green banana. 

Your share this week has plenty of greens - try them cooked together as a medley in a stir-fry. The Vivid Choi can be used much like Swiss Chard or Bok Choy. Moringa is making its first appearance this season - check out the "What's That Food" section for more information on this miracle food.

Your basil is from the first harvest in our herb patch - use it to make a pesto or simply chop it finely and season any dish for a burst of fresh flavor. 

Enjoy the harvest, 

Claudia & the crew at Ridge to Reef Farm

Photo above: View from the terraced CSA fields at Ridge to Reef Farm

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. The leaves can be eaten raw in salads, or cooked briefly just like spinach. You can also make a refreshing, nutritious hot or cold tea by steeping the fresh or dried leaves in water. Try one of the recipes below!


Farm Recipes

Mango Salsa

2-4 mangoes, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno
1/2 cup diced onion, with tops
2 tablespoons lime or other citrus juice
1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves (optional)
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Combine the mango, jalapeno, onion, lime juice and cilantro leaves and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.





Moringa Leaves Gulay

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:

1. Boil coconut milk, tofu, garlic and onion for 10 minutes.                                      

2. Season with salt, stirring the mixture continuously.                                                   

3. Add moringa leaves and crushed chili peppers.                                                     

4. Cook 5 minutes longer. Serve hot.  

Recipe courtesy Moringa Tress of Life





Guacamole Dip with Moringa Leaves

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

This Week's Harvest

Mangoes

Bananas

Onions

Jalapenos

Turnips or Radishes

Bok Choy

Vivid Choi

Moringa

Basil - Genovese














THANK YOU HOSTS!

Gifft Hill School

St. John 3:30 - 5:30 pm Thursday

Barefoot Buddha

Havensight, St. Thomas 11 am -1 pm Thursday

The Pickled Greek

Christiansted, St. Croix 3-5 pm Saturday

Teres Veho

Frederiksted, St. Croix 2-4 pm Saturday
 

Good Afternoon!

This week we harvested a mix of greens, roots and fruits for your share:

Fruits

The bananas and mangoes are either green or ripening - if they are not ready to eat now, just wait a few days to a week for them to become sweet and decadent. 

Botanically eggplants are fruits, but they are usually considered a vegetable. Eggplant is quite bitter until it is cooked, which transforms the flesh into a rich, complex, meaty treat. Try it roasted and blended into a spread like Baba Gannoush.

Roots

The onions in your box are green, sweet onions. Use them just like regular onions, except when it comes to storage - keep them in the refrigerator, and use them within a week or two at the most. They are not cured for storage, so eat them fresh! The onion tops can be used like chives. 

The turnips are great raw or cooked, and their tops can be prepared like mustard greens.

Greens

The bagged braising mix is a blend of Asian greens that can be eaten raw in salads, but are usually eaten wilted or sauteéd with light seasonings.

There are two kinds of pac choy in your share this week - Joi Choi, which has a large full head, and Vivid Choi, which has large green leaves and multi-colored stems. They are highly nutritious greens, with plenty of Vitamins A, C, K and B-vitamins. They are also a moderate source of calcium, iron and other essential minerals. These Asian greens are often prized for their sweet, succulent stalks. Use Pac Choy like any other green leafy vegetable. The vivid choi is often compared to Rainbow Chard because of its colorful ribs and mild flavor. Bok choy is best eaten in a stir-fry, but can be prepared steamed, sautéed, braised or in a salad or soup.

Enjoy the harvest!

Claudia & the crew at Ridge to Reef Farm


Pictured above: onion starts being transplanted in the field earlier this spring; onions in the packing shed after harvest

Meet Your Farmers

               
From left to right: Jim, Claudia, Troy, Jerry, Dakota, Kareem, Jillian

We have a great team of folks here at the farm, working diligently to grow and share our mission of providing fresh, organic produce in the Virgin Islands. We'd like to welcome our new farm apprentices, Jerry Ceja Jr. and Dakota Beveridge, who arrived just a few weeks ago. Here are their stories:

Jerry

I'm Jerry Ceja Jr from Denver, Colorado; I am a recent graduate of Eastern Washington University. I am passionate about the art & science of horticulture and the business of agriculture. Two role models that I strive to emulate are: George Washington Carver and Will Allen. Both of these innovators ushered in new paradigms in farming and both advocated sustainability, self-sufficiency and food security. By adopting their principles, I intend to follow in their footsteps; this path requires the utilization of the intrinsic wisdom of nature and the infinite capabilities of S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). My areas of interest include organic agriculture, urban agriculture/vertical farming and community supported agriculture. My plans for the future include an urban farm, research & development/production of industrial hemp and an off-the-grid family farmstead.  

Dakota

Greetings! My name is Dakota and I'm originally from Missouri where I received my BS in Sustainable Agriculture. I'm passionate about my health and also serving as a steward for the health of others. I believe eating good food not only makes people healthier, but happier as well. I look forward to meeting you in the future and until then, I hope you stay healthy, happy and whole!

Farm Recipes 

Sautéed Bok Choy 

Bok choy is the perfect vegetable for a quick, healthy side dish. Here, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes add flavor, and a final drizzle of toasted sesame oil brings it all together.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (from 1/2-inch piece)
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 pounds bok choy (about 2 medium bunches), cleaned, ends trimmed, and cut on the bias into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• Salt (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large frying pan with a tightfitting lid, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant but not brown, about 30 seconds.
2. Add the bok choy and, using tongs, fold it into the garlic-ginger mixture until coated, about 1 minute. Add the soy sauce and water, cover, and cook until steam accumulates, about 1 minute. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are just wilted, the stalks are just fork tender but still crisp, and most of the water has evaporated, about 2 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat, stir in the sesame oil, and season with salt if desired.

By Christine Gallary SOURCE: http://www.chow.com/recipes/28071-sauteed-bok-choy



Tahini - Soy Sauce Greens

Works well with bok choy or vivid choi

• 1 head bok choy or bunch vivid choi
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1-3 tablespoon water or lemon juice
• 1-2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari to taste

1.Wash and coarsely chop greens. Put stems into a steamer for two minutes;   then add the leaves and steam for three to four minutes, until tender-crisp. 

2. Drain, pressing lightly to remove excess water.

3. Mix the tahini, water or lemon juice, and soy sauce in a bowl. Pour the sauce over the greens and toss, or by let each person dip pieces of greens into the tahini-soy sauce.o edit.

This week there are two kinds of berries in your share:

Surinam Cherries, which are sweet and slightly tart, bright red fruits that you can eat out of hand, and 

Gooseberries, which are white fruits that must be cooked before eating. They are comparable to cranberries - they are usually stewed with sugar as a kind of sauce, or made into a jam.  

Pyllanthus acidus, the Otaheite Gooseberry or Malay Gooseberry, is beleived to have orignated in Madagascar, then was brought to the East Indies and finally the Caribbean by the 18th century. When cooked with sugar, the fruits turn a beautiful red color for a festive jam or sweet treat.

The small pink fruits are Wax Apples, also called love apple, java apple and rose apple, among other names. Syzygium samarangense is distinct from the related Malay apple, Syzygium malaccense, which sets at a different time of year and has a darker red color. Eat them fresh like an apple - the fruits are refreshing and have a mild, sweet floral flavor.  Try them sliced on a salad, with a sweet balsamic vinaigrette. 

You'll also find many mangoes in your box, mostly Julie and Manzana (apple) varieties, from the Kai Lawaetz Orchard and Garden of Ridge to Reef Farm. These have sweet, smooth flesh and minimal stringiness. 

Have a fruitful week,

Claudia & the crew at Ridge to Reef Farm

Welcome to the Summer Fruit Share!

This season, you'll receive a separate e-mail detailing the fruit share harvest, with occasional descriptions of your items. 

The star in your box this week is Miracle Fruit! If you haven't heard of it before, you're in for a treat.

The Miracle fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) is a perennial shrub or small tree native to West Africa.  It grows well without supplemental fertility or water on our farm.  The small, mildly sweet fruits have the remarkable ability to alter one’s palate, making sour things taste sweet!  

This change in flavor is due to a protein called miraculin, which binds to your taste buds and, under acidic conditions, activates sweet receptors.  This week you received a few miracle fruit in a small brown paper bag in your fruit share. 

To experience the effects, pop the fresh fruit in your mouth and carefully chew and suck the pulp – there is a large seed in the middle.

After about a minute, you can try a slice of the intensely sour Seville orange or passionfuit included in your box. The change in your palate will last about an hour, so enjoy. Be sure to try a mixed drink with rum and a lime squeeze for a flavor you’ll never forget! 

Claudia, Jim & the crew at Ridge to Reef Farm

This Week's Harvest

Surinam Cherries

Miracle Fruit

Seville Orange

Passionfruit

Bananas

Mangoes

Welcome to the Summer CSA!

Today marks the first CSA share of the season at Ridge to Reef Farm! This week your share is packed with fresh organic produce that we've been growing for you here on St. Croix for the last few months. 

You'll find one of several varieties of winter squash in your box, either butternut, delicata, acorn or red kuri (also known as Japanese pumpkin). All of these are known for their sweet, decadent flesh. Roast them halved or quartered in the oven, or cut them into cubes for roasting or cooking on the stovetop.

Your greens this week include arugula, which can be eaten raw or cooked - we recommend wilting it in a pan with sauteed garlic and olive oil. There is also a bag of our specialty salad mix, a unique blend of mostly mild, gourmet asian greens.

The peppers in your box are an Italian heirloom variety of sweet pepper called a "Corno di Toro" or bullhorn-type pepper. They are excellent sauteéd, roasted and stuffed. The eggplant variety you have this week is best peeled and salted before cooking. 

You'll find either turnips or radishes in your box this week. These versatile, mild Japanese turnips can be used like radishes and eaten raw in a salad - or treat them like beets and roast them in the oven until sweet and slightly browned.

We always like to give our members fresh herbs - this week, your box has a bag of Genovese Basil. This basil is delicious blended into pesto, or chopped and added to salads or at the end of any cooked dish.

You're getting some delicious fruits this week in addition to your fill of veggies. The mangoes from our orchards are excellent for fresh eating, but can also be pureed into a smoothie or simmered into a savory chutney.  The bananas in your box are fully mature but still green - they should take 7-14 days to ripen. Your organic bananas take slightly longer to ripen than conventional bananas, because they are not treated with ethylene gas, a chemical that hastens ripening.

We look forward to this season of growing with you!

Claudia & the crew at Ridge to Reef Farm

Pictured above: Bok Choy seedlings in our propagation area
 ________________________________________________________________


Notes From the Field

We are in the middle of planting out our fields for the current CSA season, and the farm terraces are bursting with fresh new growth from bountiful late spring rains.  One of the greatest gifts this rain brings is a reprieve from watering duties.  It also presents certain opportunities for growing crops to feed the soil.

One of the most important aspects of organic agriculture is caring for the health of the soil.  We do this in many ways.  On the small garden scale, we utilize mulch and vegetable compost to create intensives yields from a small area.  In the fields, we take advantage of the rains to grow so-called cover crops.  These are crops that we do not harvest or eat, but are rather grown to maturity only to be mowed and turned back into the soil. 

As the cover crop residues break down in the soil, they provide food for a complex web of soil-dwelling organisms.  As the nutrients from the cover crop pass through this food web – from bacteria and fungi, to small detritivores and predators – they become increasingly available for plants to absorb.  The most important process that occurs during and after this breakdown is the mineralization of nitrogen compounds into ammonium, the most important nutrient for green, leafy growth,

We grow a tropical legume called Sunn Hemp (Crotolaria juncea) for a cover crop.  Sunn hemp has the advantage of growing quickly, smothering out weeds and suppressing soil-dwelling pests.  Being a legume, Sunn hemp forms a symbiotic relationship with soil-dwelling bacteria.  The bacteria live in special organs call nodules on the plants’ roots.  These bacteria have the remarkable ability to capture nitrogen from the air and bring it to the plants’ roots.  The sunn hemp makes its own fertilizer, and after we incorporate it into the soil that fertilizer becomes available for subsequent crops. 

This is one of the most important natural processes we utilize as organic farmers.  Rather than spending money on chemically produced fertilizer, we grow our own!  This not only helps us save money on expensive fertilizers, it has a much smaller environmental impact than chemical fertilizers, which are produced using fossil fuels.  Chemical nitrogen is also notorious for leaching into the ground water and contaminating waterways.  As farmers on an island with an already damaged reef system, we feel that utilizing cover crops for all our fertility needs is an essential part of healing our reefs.

The sunn hemp will be ready to incorporate mid-July, and that field will be planted in early August.  We expect some excellent crops from tilling in this healthy stand of cover crop.

Enjoy the harvest,

Jim Marzluff & the crew at Ridge to Reef Farm

_________________________________________________________________

Farm Recipes

Red Kuri Squash Soup

1 1/2 pounds red kuri or other squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (3 cups)

1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 bay leaf

1 medium fennel bulb, cored and cut into thin wedges

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Chopped toasted pecans and small marjoram leaves, for garnish 

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large saucepan, combine the cubed squash with the chopped onion, bay leaf and 3 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, on a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the fennel wedges with the 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss well. Roast for about 25 minutes, until the fennel is tender and starting to brown.

Discard the bay leaf from the soup. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender. Return the soup to the saucepan and warm over low heat. Stir in the butter and season the soup with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the roasted fennel, pecans, marjoram leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.

MAKE AHEAD: The soup can be refrigerated overnight. Reheat gently.

Adapted from Alice Waters via Food & Wine


Sauteed Hakurei Turnips and Greens

1 bunch Hakurei turnips with greens
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

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, add the butter or 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.

This Week's Harvest

Bananas

Mangoes

Eggplant 

Arugula

Radishes or Hakurei Turnips

Sweet Peppers - red and green

Salad Mix - blend of asian greens 

Basil - genovese

Winter Squash - red kuri, butternut, delicata or acorn

THANK YOU HOSTS!

Gifft Hill School

St. John 3:30 - 5:30 pm Thursday

Barefoot Buddha

Havensight, St. Thomas 11 am -1 pm Thursday

The Pickled Greek

Christiansted, St. Croix 3-5 pm Saturday

Teres Veho

Frederiksted, St. Croix 2-4 pm Saturday to edit.

From the Field

After twelve weeks of harvest and produce-filled boxes, we've reached the final week of the Winter/Spring 2013 CSA. This week, your box has a crop that's been growing slowly all season long and is finally ready for you - sweet peppers. We're growing a few different varieties, including "Corno di Toro" or bullhorn-type Italian frying peppers and pimento-type sweet peppers. They're not the bell shape you may be used to seeing, but they're definitely sweet (not hot). Try them roasted, grilled, fried or raw, and check out some of the recipes below.

We just opened sign-ups for the summer and fall seasons exclusively to our current CSA members (for this week only) - you can chosse to sign up for the Full Season (22 weeks total, June through November), or just the Summer season for now. 

Thank you for your continued support! We look forward to growing for you seasons to come.

Enjoy the harvest,

Claudia Seixas & the crew at Ridge to Reef Farm


Pictured above: Zinnias in the Ellen's Garden at Ridge to Reef Farm.

Farm Recipes

Grilled Marinated Eggplant

2 large eggplants, about 2 pounds
Kosher salt
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lemon, about 2 tablespoons
1 tablespoon soy sauce

1. Heat the grill. Slice the eggplant into lengths and put in a large bowl. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and set aside while making the marinade.

2. Whisk together the olive oil, cider vinegar, honey, smoked paprika, and cumin. Dab away any extra water that has beaded up on the eggplant and toss with the marinade. Stir in the garlic. Place the eggplant onto the grill and cook for 10-15 minutes until very tender and slightly browned. Or roast in a 400F oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the grill and cool slightly, then cut into cubes. 

3. Whisk together the lemon juice and soy sauce in the same bowl that held the marinade. Return the eggplant to the bowl and toss with the lemon juice mixture.

Recipe courtesy Kelly Rossiter




Roasted Eggplant Soup

3 medium tomatoes, halved
1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds), halved lengthwise (I used 3 smaller ones)
1 small onion, halved (eh, mine was medium)
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
4 cups chicken stock or vegetable broth
1/4 cup heavy cream (you can add more to taste, or skip this entirely)
3/4 cup (about 3 1/2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange tomatoes, eggplant, onion and garlic on a large baking sheet, or two smaller ones if you, like me, have a tiny oven. Brush or drizzle vegetables with oil then roast them for 20 minutes, pausing only to remove the garlic cloves (the original recipe had you keep them in the whole time, and mine, sadly, burned) and returning the pans to the oven for another 25 minutes, until the remaining vegetables are tender and brown in spots. Remove from oven and scoop eggplant from skin into a heavy, large saucepan or soup pot. Add the rest of the vegetables, the thyme and the chicken or vegetable stock and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until onion is very tender, about 45 minutes (mine took longer). Cool slightly.

2. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until it is as smooth as you’d like it to be. (Or, if you have an immersion blender, you can do this in the pot.) Back in the pot, add the cream and bring the soup back to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Serve in four bowls, sprinkled with goat cheese.

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen, adapted from Bon Appetit


Eggplant and Red Pepper Spread

2 medium eggplants
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 scallion, sliced
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt 

1. Turn stovetop gas burner to high and place eggplants, one at a time, directly over burner grate, turning occasionally with tongs until all sides are charred and eggplant is soft, about 5 minutes per side. Remove to a baking sheet and let cool completely.

2. Drain juices, remove skin, and place eggplant pulp in the bowl of a food processor. *If you do not have a gas burner at home, you can broil the eggplants (turning them just as you would on the flame) until their skin is blistered and the inside is creamy and soft.

3. Pulse eggplant 10-15 times until well chopped but with a few remaining chunks. Add red pepper, garlic, scallion, oil, tahini, lemon juice, cayenne and salt, pulsing to incorporate all ingredients. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until serving.

Sweet Pepper and Tomato Salsa Recipe

3 sweet peppers (green or red) seeded, chopped and divided
3 scallions, chopped and divided
2 jalapeno peppers, stem removed (optional)
2 tomatoes, cored and diced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pinch sea salt (or to taste)
1 dash fresh ground black pepper

1. Set aside half the chopped onion, the tomatoes and three quarters of the chopped bell peppers. Put remaining onion and pepper into your blender or food processor.

2. Add all other ingredients and blend until smooth. Mix your reserved onion, tomatoes and pepper into the puree.

Sauteed Eggplant with Mediterranean Vegetables

1 1/2 lb Eggplant, cut into 1-inch chunks
sweet peppers (red or green) 1 1/2 to 2 cups cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 cup sliced onions
2 cups chopped tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
salt
pepper
olive oil

1. Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the peppers and onions until tender, but not browned, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and season with pepper. Cook, covered, for 2 minutes, set aside. Heat some additional oil in the saute pan and saute the eggplant until lightly browned and tender. Stir in the tomato mixture, and cook gently for 5 minutes.

2. Mash together the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Finely chop the basil and mash with garlic until it forms a paste. Blend into the eggplant mixture and cook for a few more minutes.

Grilled Eggplant and Heirloom Tomato Sandwiches 

2 eggplants cut into 1/4-inch slices 
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 peppers, roasted or grilled and sliced
1 or 2 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
8 1/2-inch-thick slices of your favorite sandwich bread

Optional: Aioli or mayonnaise to spread on the bread 

1. Preheat the grill or broiler. Brush the olive oil lightly over both sides of the eggplant and sprinkle with salt. Grill or broil the eggplant until tender, 3 or 4 minutes per side. Place in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of vinegar and half of the minced garlic.

2. Cut the tops off the peppers, slice in half and remove the seeds. Grill or broil the peppers until tender and then toss them in a bowl with the remaining vinegar and garlic. 

3. Grill, broil or toast the bread. If you are using aioli or mayonnaise spread it on the bread and then assemble the sandwiches with layers of eggplant, peppers and tomatoes.

This Week's Harvest

Eggplant - Asian or Italian

Sweet Peppers - red and green

Green Onions 

Salad Mix - blend of asian greens 

Braising Greens - komatsuna or arugula

Basil - genovese

Tomatoes - heirloom & slicing




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

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.

For more storage tips, check out this handy flyer!
 

From the Field

While we're nearing the end of the Winter CSA season, we're sowing the seeds for the CSA seasons to come - keep your eyes and e-mails peeled for news on the sign-up, which will begin soon. We're once again in the mode of saving seed, starting new plants, sowing cover crop and preparing new ground to plant into. The bees and other beneficial insects sure like the flowering basil and coriander in the fields, and numerous other plants are setting flowers that will soon bear fruits - cashew, mango, surinam cherry, passionfruit and more. 

Our eggplants are abundant, and so is your share this week - you'll find a generous amount of them, along with tomatoes and a newcomer - Jalapenos! Try out some of the recipes below. I've also heard they're tasty in a Bloody Mary (alcoholic or non) made with fresh tomatoes. There's also a bunch of fresh green onions - use them raw or cooked in any recipe that calls for scallions, onions, chives or green onions. Your greens this week are called Komatsuna - they are similar to mustard greens, but mild not spicy! Treat the leaves like spinach, as it does not need much cooking and can be eaten raw. Use in any recipe that calls for greens.

Thank you for your continued support!

Enjoy the harvest,

Claudia Seixas & the crew at Ridge to Reef Farm




Pictured above: Bees enjoying the flowering basil in the field.

Farm Recipes

Jalapeno Corn Bread

Ingredients: 

2-6 jalapenos, lightly roasted in the oven (see instructions below)
2 C all-purpose flour
2 C corn meal (yellow or blue)
1/4 C sugar (turbinado, white or brown)
1 TBS salt
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 TBS flaxseed meal soaked in 1/4 C warm water* 
2.5 C soy milk (or other dairy or non-dairy milk)
1 stick (1/2c.) melted Earth Balance, butter or margarine OR ½ c. canola oil (or other mild oil)  

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Roast jalapenos about 5 minutes on each side, until the skin starts to bubble up and look like yummy roasted goodness.

•  Meanwhile, mix up the batch of Texas cornbread.

•  Remove peppers from oven, and turn down the heat to 350°F

• When peppers are cool enough to handle, slice down one side and remove some or all of the seeds. Dice the peppers into small pieces. • Grease a 9×13 baking dish, or cast iron skillet (or muffin pan)                                 

• In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients: flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda.   

• Add wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Add prepared jalapenos to cornbread batter and mix to incorporate.   

• Pour batter into baking dish and bake at 350°F for 18-20 minutes for muffins, or 40-45 minutes for 9X13 pan, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Let cool at least 15 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy!

* To make flaxseed meal from whole flax, just blend in a coffee grinder or food processor until fine. 

Eggplant, Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

Ingredients: 

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2-4 medium eggplants, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced 
1 pound sliced tomatoes
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush two rimmed baking sheets with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil each. Arrange eggplant slices on sheets. Brush tops with 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until eggplant is golden and tender, about 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. 

• On a serving platter, layer eggplant with sliced mozzarella and tomatoes. Top with basil leaves and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and balsamic vinegar. 

Recipe couresty Martha Stewart, Everday Food

Eggplant Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers

Ingredients for Stuffing:  

1 tsp Cumin seeds
1tsp oil
1-2 Tomatoes
1-2 large Eggplants                                                                                 
1/2 c. parsley, finely chopped 

Ingredients for Poppers:

8 to 10 Jalapenos
1/2 cup All-purpose flour
1 cup Bread Crumbs (More if needed)

Directions: 

1. Broil the Eggplant in a broiler for about 5 to 10 min. on each side until done.

2. Heat the oil in a small pan, add cumin seeds, once they start spluttering, add tomato and cook until tomato becomes soft and mushy.

3. Peel the skin of eggplant. Blend the tomato, eggplant, parsley and salt to taste in a blender and keep it aside

4. Make a slit on one side length wise on each Jalapeno and remove seeds.

5. Stuff the above mixture into each of these.

6. Heat enough oil in a pan to deep fry them. Mix All purpose flour with some water and salt to make a smooth paste. It should not be too thick or thin, it should be at the right consistency to coat the jalapeno.

7. Dip each jalapeno into the flour mixture first and then dip them into the bread crumbs to coat them properly. Then put them into oil and deep fry them until done.

For the dip:  mix the remaining stuffing mixture with yogurt and added a dash of salt.

For tempering: use 1 tsp of oil, 1/2 tsp cumin, and 1/2 tsp mustard seeds. Pour over the dip and mix.

Serve the poppers with the dip. Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy the blog Snackorama

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

From the Field

Hope everyone had a nice Easter weekend! We celebrated at the farm with a much-needed rain shower - our thirsty crops enjoyed receiving over an inch of water. Many of our leafy green plants sprung back to life with new growth, and the eggplants and tomatoes absorbed water like balloons. At the same time the guinea grass and weeds took the opportunity to germinate, so they are flourishing along with the vegetable crops.

This week you'll find a bunch of beets with their greens in your CSA box - they're nothing like the canned beets many of us grew up hating (though my father still swears by them). Beets and Swiss Chard are actually the same species, Beta vulgaris, just different subspecies that have been traditionally bred over time to favor production of either the greens or the roots. Beet greens can be prepared like Chard, and the roots can be roasted, boiled or pickled, among other preparations - try the recipe below for Balsamic Beets and Beet Greens.

We harvested Chaya for you this week, a highly nutritious green from the Yucatan in Mexico - read the What's That Food? section for more information on this plant, and try out some of the recipes below. Be sure to note that Chaya should not be eaten raw, and must be boiled for about 10 minutes before further preparation, in order to remove naturally-occurring hydrocyanic glycosides.

Thank you for your continued support!

Enjoy the harvest,

Claudia Seixas & the crew at Ridge to Reef Farm




Pictured above: Traci, Matt and Kalyn transplanting onions in the CSA field.

What's that Food? Chaya


Chaya (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius), also called Mayan Spinach, Tree Spinach and Mexican Spinach, is a perrenial tropical shrub native to the Mexico, and a proflific producer of nutrient-dense green leaves. It has been used in the traditional cuisine of Central America and southern Mexico since pre-Columbian times, and is still consumed widely today. Chaya is high in protein, calcium, iron, beta carotene and vitamins A, B and C - significantly more so than most other green leaf vegetables. 

The leaves should be chopped and boiled for about 10 minutes prior to eating due to the presence of hydrocyanic glycosides, which are removed by cooking (HCN boils off as a gas, making the broth and leaves suitable for consumption).

After the initial boiling, Chaya is often strained, then prepared and seasoned just like cooked spinach in meals like lasagna, pizza, eggs and burritos. Previously boiled and drained chaya can also be fried or sautéed in oil with onion and tomatoes. Some traditional preparation include Dzotobilchay (Chaya Tamales), Pibxcatic (stuffed chilies) and tacos filled with boiled, fried chaya, cooked with tomato and chilies then rolled in roasted pumpkin seeds. 

Try one of the recipes below!

Farm Recipes

SAUTÉED YUCATECAN GREENS
 
INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbs. (45 ml) olive oil
• 4 oz. (114g) slab bacon, cut into large dice (optional)
• 1 large red onion 
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped  
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 8 cups (2 liters) chaya leaves, thick stems removed and coarsely chopped (Substitute: spinach, Swiss chard, kale)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

IN A LARGE SKILLET, heat olive oil and bacon until bacon is cooked. Remove bacon and set aside to drain. Reduce heat and add onion, garlic and bell pepper and cook until softened. Add chaya and cover. Cook 20-25 minutes or until chaya is tender, stirring occasionally. Return bacon to skillet and toss to incorporate. Check seasonings and serve.

Recipe courtesy Los-Dos cooking school

CHAYA QUICHE

INGREDIENTS

For the dough
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons chilled butter or vegetable shortening
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

Mix the ingredients for the dough and spread it out in a buttered pie dish. 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.

Beat the eggs and mix 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 shredded 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.

Recipe by Nadja Hofmann, former apprentice (based on the "Joy of Cooking")


CHAYA CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS

3 cups chopped and cooked chaya
4 tbsp chopped onion
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
½ cup bread crumbs or ground bread
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Mix together the chaya, onion, salt and pepper; stir the eggs into the milk and add to the chaya mixture and place in a greased glass casserole, sprinkle the top with the bread crumbs and butter.  Bake at 220 degrees for 15 minutes.


Recipe courtesy Urban Harvest

ARROZ CON CHAYA

INGREDIENTS

1 cup water
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp vegetable stock granules
1 lime
½ cup long-grain rice
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb chaya, steamed and chopped

DIRECTIONS

In saucepan, combine water, onion, garlic, oregano, chicken stock, and pepper. Bring to a boil; stir in rice, reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in cooked chaya. Cover and cook 5-10 minutes more until the rice is tender. Stir lightly with a fork and mix in lime juice. May be served hot or cold.


Recipe courtesy Vegetarian Recipes of the Yucatan
 
 
BALSAMIC BEETS AND BEET GREENS

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup toasted walnuts
1-2 bunches beets with greens (about 6 medium beets)
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea Salt or vegetable seasoning salt to taste
1 onion, sliced into thin half-moons

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread walnuts in a baking dish and toast in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes. Coarsely chop and set aside.

Cut off the beets, then separate the leaves from the stems at the base of the leaf. Discard the stems. Wash greens and cut into strips about ½ inch wide. Set aside. 

Scrub beets and place unpeeled in a steamer and cook until tender. (The recipe recommends 30 minutes, but mine cooked quicker. Roasting beets is also a very good idea). Peel beets by running them under cold water while slipping off skins. Cut beets into quarters, and cut each quarter into ¼ inch thick slices. Place in a medium-size bowl and toss with the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and salt. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 3 minutes. Add sliced greens and cook, covered, for 5 to 7 minutes until wilted. Just before serving, add beets to the beet greens and heat through (1 to 2 minutes). Place greens and beets on a platter and garnish with toasted walnuts.

Recipe courtesy Something Good! CSA

This Week's Harvest

Eggplant - Asian or Italian

Beets - roots & leaves

Basil - Genovese

Parsley - Italian flat leaf

Chaya - Mayan spinach

Moringa - leaves

Tomatoes - heirloom & slicing

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

Welcome to tomato season!

The fields at Ridge to Reef farm are pumping out pounds of luscious heirloom tomatoes. We're growing over 12 different varieties of tomatoes- including Cherokee Purple, Black Krim, Striped German, German Johnson, Black Cherry, Pink Brandywine, Mortgage Lifter, Arkansas Traveler and Homestead, amongst others - which are starting to ripen and sweeten with the heat of the sun.

We're growing almost all heirloom varieties, which means the seeds have been passed down for multiple generations through families and farmers, and have been around since before the 1940’s. These tomatoes are juicy, sweet, decadent, meaty and unique - the fruits are often oddly-shaped, but loaded with flavor!

Heirlooms are open-pollinated, which in the seed-breeding world means they are either cross-pollinated (by insects, birds or wind), or self-pollinated, and reproduce "true-to-type" seed, so plants from the next generation will resemble the parent plant. In other words, seed-saving from open-pollinated plants is simple and fruitful.

This differs from hybrid seeds, which are produced from a natural but controlled method of pollination that results in "hybrid-vigor," which makes the plants exhibit desirable characteristics, like disease resistance and sweetness but are not "true to type," which makes seed-saving difficult. 

Make sure to check out the storage tips in the right-hand column, and try out some of the reipces below! We hope you enjoy your box this week!

Love and tomatoes,

Claudia Seixas & the crew @ Ridge to Reef Farm

www.ridge2reef.org 


Farm Recipes

We just finished another successful Slow Down Dinner here at the farm, and felt inspired to try our own take on the appetizer course today.


Ridge to Reef Tostones & Salsa

Tostones (fried green bananas) are easy to prepare and delicious to eat fresh, when they are warm and have that perfect texture combination of crunchy and chewy.

To make, just peel green bananas and cut into 3/4 inch pieces. Fry in oil until crispy, then place on towel-lined plate and mop up any excess oil.

Then take two pieces, one on top of the other, on a cutting board, and press them together with a bowl. Slightly twist bowl to remove, use spatula if necessary. Return to pan and fry until light brown.

Garnish with salsa:

• Diced tomatoes
  
• Minced onion and garlic
• Chopped cilantro
• Optional squeeze of lime juice
• Optional jalapeno

How about those tomatoes?! So sweet and juicy and beautiful!


We hope you enjoy this tasty and healthy snack. If you make any variations, please send us your own recipe to share!

What else can we make this week?


Here's a great use for those cucumbers and parsley, plus any island avocados you can find: Creamy Cucumber Soup

Try grating your radishes for a fresh take on your salad :)

This simple komatsuna saute would serve perfectly as a side dish with dinner. Add some pickled okra for a cool crunch session. And for anything you may have left over, check out these smart six habits to prevent food waste.
Until next time, bon appetit!

Sarah

View the recipe archives on our website for more inspiration.  
We encourage culinary creativity! Send your own recipe to r2rfarm@gmail.com, and we will add it to an upcoming newsletter.

This Week's Harvest

Heirloom Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Radishes
Okra or Eggplant
Braising Greens Mix
Komatsuna
Lettuce
Parsley

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.

Parsley - Keep separately in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Cucumbers- Store in the refrigerator, however avoid extreme cold temperatures. Cucumbers like to be kept around 45-50 degrees.

Komatsuna - The leaves in this bunch of greens are tender and fragile- store them in the rerfrigerator, and enjoy!

Radishes - Store in the refrigerator. The whole plant is edible, but the greens do not last as long as the roots. If you'd like to hold on to them longer, just remove the greens and keep refrigerated.

Lettuce - loves cool temperatures! Keep it refrigerated.

Okra - keep in a paper (not plastic) bag in the refrigerator.

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!  
 
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

Ridge to Reef Farm @ the Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute
PO Box 2903
Frederiksted USVI 00841

340.220.0466
r2rfarm@gmail.com
www.ridge2reef.org

We’re keeping ourselves busy here at the farm harvesting the abundance of food from the fields. The photo above pictures two of our farmers, Kalyn and Matt, carefully harvesting salad mix greens that went into last week’s CSA share. Days we’re not harvesting or at market, we have diverse projects and tasks to work on. Right now, we’re building trellises to provide support to our tomatoes, cucumbers and beans, irrigating the fields and weeding around our crops. At the same time, we’re thinking about next season – we’re propagating perennials like Okinawa Spinach, starting seeds for onions in the potting shed and planting winter squash out in the fields. Whenever we can, we spend time in the gardens, tending to the young and old – the plants put in the ground by those years ago, and newcomers just coming out of the soil. 

Thank you to all those who made it out to Agri-Fest in St. Croix last weekend! We had a blast. It was wonderful to connect with CSA members, market customers and farmers from St. Croix and other islands. 

Our builder/chef at the farm, Troy, whipped up a delicious coconut-basil pesto – made with all farm ingredients – just for the fair. See the recipe below for another take on pesto, made with arugula. Use your creativity when it comes to pesto- try arugula, basil and parsley all-together for a dynamic, flavorful meal!

You’re invited to our Slow Down Dinner this Saturday, February 23rd with Guest Chefs Negust Kaza of Tutto Bene and Tamla O’Brien of the Red Couch Café. Come indulge in our magnificent season's organic harvest. For more details, including how to make your reservation, see the full announcement here.

Enjoy your produce!

Happy eating,

Claudia Seixas & the crew @ Ridge to Reef Farm

www.ridge2reef.org 

Farm Recipes

This week, we received a message from Cindy, a share member from St. Croix:

We have had a marvelous time making salsa, collard greens and chicken soup, turnips sauteed with a pinch of sugar, the greens! - so fresh and yummy, really loved the beans (the red are so buttery tasting...just boiled with nothing!)...we've pickled the cucumbers and juiced at the end of the week with whatever is leftover (including all stems!).  This has made cooking a joy.  Thank you all!

I love her enthusiasm and creativity! And was just thinking yesterday how much better salsa makes everything -- so flavorful and versatile, just add a spoonful to soup, salad, rice, stirfry, and of course, fish tacos, and dinner is done!

We're expecting to be up to our necks in tomatoes soon -- seriously, we have entire fields dedicated to tomatoes, and though still green for now, they're getting bigger every day.

Hm....... maybe we should have a salsa contest! Members could bring samples to their pickup points, and we'll select finalists from each location (how could distributing organic produce to happy people at the beach could get any better? Oh, tasting their delicious creations in a competition! :) The winner would earn enough tomatoes to start a major scale salsa operation, along with some serious bragging rights. Extra consideration if you dance the salsa with your salsa!
Well, it's a fun dream for someday, anyway. :)

What can you do with your share right now? I am so glad that Cindy mentioned juicing. This healthy habit is a great way of getting much-needed nutrition without feeling the fullness of all that fiber -- perfect for a cleanse/fast, or whenever you need a power boost into light speed.

Check out the benefits of juicing cucumbers. And lots of juice recipes here! If you don't have a juicer yet, a refreshing alternative is to cut a few slices and add to a glass of ice water. Aaaaaahhhhhhhh....

Speaking of, how are you liking this okra(aahhh :)? The green and purples are so pretty, and I love their crunch and taste so much, I put them into stirfry and couldn't stop munching as I was stirring and frying. There was no okra left in the stirfry by the time it was ready to eat. :)

A nice way to spice up your stirfry is to top it with an arugula pesto. The arugula is a subtle (but flavorable, and favorable, I think) substitute for the traditional basil. Try using a local island nut like almonds instead of pine nuts! We use coconuts here on the farm.

The farm .... <3
Eat and be well, everyone!
Sarah

View the recipe archives on our website for more inspiration. 


We encourage culinary creativity!  Send your own recipe to r2rfarm@gmail.com, and we will add it to an upcoming newsletter!

This Week's Harvest

Cucumbers

Radishes

Red Noodle Yardlong Beans

Bok Choy

Arugula

Head Lettuce OR Salad Mix

Kale OR Collard Greens

Parsley

Basil


Storage Tips:  

Basil - We harvest the tips for you, which is the most aromatic part of the plant, but is prone to blackening if handled incorrectly. Just refrigerate it, but don't allow it to get too cold - it will bruise from cold damage. Don't get it wet - it does not require washing, and will blacken if exposed to water.

Bok Choy - Keep refrigerated. When preparing, cut and then wash the ribs and leaves. It has a tendency to collect soil at the base of the plant while growing, this is normal! 

Parsley - Keep separately in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. 

Collard Greens - Store in the refrigerator.

Yardlong beans- Store in the refrigerator.

Cucumbers- Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
   
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

Ridge to Reef Farm @ the Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute
PO Box 2903
Frederiksted USVI 00841

340.220.0466
r2rfarm@gmail.com
www.ridge2reef.org

Ok, so it just so happens to be Valentine’s Day week and a perfect time to expose what we are really doing here every week at Ridge to Reef Farm: sending you our love. 

We grow food because we love the act. We love what the act produces. We love sharing it. And oh! How we love to hear about your enjoyment -of the joy over being in the company of fresh, vibrant veggies; the pleasures of your culinary creating and the varied tastes that ensue; the feeling your body registers when you feed it with the love that was prepared, seeded, weeded, watered, defended, suckered, picked, sliced, washed, cooled, packed, and delivered right to your heart.

The cycle of love flows, with CSA member comments like this: “I had forgotten how fresh produce could/should be until getting your products!!!” 

and the thoughtfully capitalized, “THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the good food!! I LOVE my CSA!”

with lovely stories such as... “I began 'feasting' on the produce just by looking at it and enjoying the scents from all the goodies inside that box.” 

and... “Yesterday's CSA was the jewel in the crown of my Saturday Market Day.  The quality is great, the taste is well worth the price and I am very happy to help support the people who grow all of these wonderful, healthy things to eat.

while clearing the conscience for better things... “It is also great to get all of this food in top condition without the un-recyclable packaging that I feel guilty about discarding each and every time I do this.”

and a mindful reminder of where we are: “Keep up the great work and  thank you for bringing us the fruits of Ay Ay's abundance.”

Thank you for the love exchange, CSA members, and for your money which represents your work in life, which we in turn appreciate among our growing food community.

Now, let’s turn to this week’s family food extravaganza, the Agriculture and Food Fair of the US Virgin Islands, AKA Viagrifest. At least that is the web address. Seriously, look it up. I don’t know about you but I think someone is missing out on some major marketing dollars with a name like that!  We see yet again, it’s all about love....

So, please come see our return to Viagrifest in the middle of the growers area where Hovensa used to be (68C). Now we have the territory's only certified organic farm where the oil company used to be! I don't know how to fit all of our produce in the tiny table space they gave us but we'll make it work:) Sorry no free plastic green umbrellas and backpacks, but we do have lots of collard greens, beans, lettuce, and much more! There will be samples of some pesto and you can meet your farmers if you have not already. 

Truly Yours in Love, 

Nate Olive & the Ridge to Reef crew

________________________________________________________

FROM THE FIELD...

The landscape at the farm has been changing slowly but steadily since we started farming here a few months ago. The terraced fields are filling up quickly with vegetables, which you can see from your car going down the driveway into the farm.

At the same time, the lush green carpet from the rainy season in the rainforest is giving way to the hot, dry sun, making it critical for us to be conservative about water usage – we’re watering the fields just enough for the crops to thrive.

Another challenge farming in the rainforest is the abundant wild deer population, who love to eat the vegetables just as much as we do. They’ve set back a few of the crops, but the plants are continuing to grow and flourish in spite of it.

This week we’re pleased to provide you with an abundance of cucumbers – the sweet, crispy Suyo Long cucumbers are making a reappearance in your box.  

You’re also receiving the first of our okra and eggplant harvest, with more to come in following weeks. We’re growing burgundy and green okra, to give you a more colorful palate, and several different kinds of eggplant, both Italian and Asian varieties.  

The Joi Choi is a full-sized bok choy (different than the baby bok-choy you had in earlier boxes). The white stalks are sweet, succulent and have a nice crunch – they can be eaten raw like celery. To cook it, just roughly chop and stir-fry the ribs and the greens.

In the box you'll find a gourmet salad mix, made of a blend of mild and spicy baby Asian greens – mizuna, tatsoi, red mustard greens, arugula and komatsuna.

We’ve included several herbs for you- parsley, cilantro and basil – to add a fresh zest to your meals. Try a pesto with the basil and parsley, and a salsa with the cilantro. These herbs are best eaten fresh, within a few days of harvest. See the column to the right for more vegetable and herb storage tips.

We harvest each box specifically for you – please let us know if you will not be able to make the pick-up. Sometimes we can make alternative arrangements if planned ahead of time. We always love to hear from you!

Happy Valentine’s Day! We hope you enjoy your organic produce, fresh from Ridge to Reef Farm.

Lovingly,

Claudia Seixas & Jim Marzluff

R2R Farm Production Managers

________________________________________________________

WTF (What's That Food)?

Red Noodle Yardlong Beans

Yardlong Beans, Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis are a type of legume that can be prepared and eaten just like green beans, even though they belong to a different genus than the common string bean. Despite the name, they are only actually about 1.5 feet in length. They are also known as chinese long beans or asparagus beans, and are a tropical/subtropical annual vine. There are several different colors and varieties, ranging from green to red.

Their flavor and texture are best when the beans are cut into smaller sections and sauteéd, stir-fried, stewed, roasted or cooked in a curry. The beans are an excellent source of protein, vitamin A, B vitamins, iron, phsphorus and potassium.

Please search our newsletter database to find strange foods and their uses from past CSA seasons.

________________________________________________________

Farm Recipes

Wondering what to do with your eggplant? For smart tips and techniques, check out this article: How to Cook Eggplant to Tender, Silky Perfection. I had no idea that salt pulls the bitterness out of eggplant! But it makes perfect sense -- kind of like how swimming in the ocean makes me feel even better. :)

And might I suggest this "Best in the World" Baba Ganoush recipe? It's similar to hummus, except made with eggplant instead of garbanzo beans. Make a big batch, keep it in the fridge and use it throughout the week whenever you need a spread for crackers and wraps, a dip for fresh veges, or a side for dinner!

If you try this, or any of your own recipes, please feel free to share on our blog or facebook!

This week's Member 2 Member recipe is shared from Eloise Anderson in St. John. The vinaigrette sounds brilliant, and we love finding new ways to use raw kale, which is so fantastically nutritious. Thanks so much for creating and sending in this recipe, Eloise! [See recipe in right hand column]

Love every day,

Sarah

This Week's Harvest

Eggplant - Asian and Italian mix
Suyo Long Cucumbers
Burgundy & Clemson Okra
Collard Greens
Joi Choi (bok choy)
Red Noodle Yardlong Beans
Baby Asian Green Salad Mix
Genovese Basil
Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
Caribe Cilantro

Storage Tips

Basil - We harvest the tips for you, which is the most aromatic part of the plant, but is prone to blackening if handled incorrectly. Just refrigerate it, but don't allow it to get too cold - it will bruise from cold damage. Don't get it wet - it does not require washing, and will blacken if exposed to water.

Baby Greens Salad Mix - These salad greens come pre-washed and bagged, ready to eat. Keep the bag closed and refrigerated for freshness. If you'd like, wash again in cold water and spin dry before eating.

Joi Choi - Keep refrigerated. When preparing, cut and then wash the ribs and leaves. It has a tendency to collect soil at the base of the plant while growing, this is normal! 

Cilantro & Parsley - Keep separately in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Collard Greens - Store in the refrigerator.

Yardlong beans- Store in the refrigerator.

Okra- Store in a paper bag in the refrigerator.

Cucumbers- Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.

Eggplant- Store in a cool spot in a paper or plastic bag.



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!

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

Member2Member Recipe

Forbidden Rice and Roasted Vegetables over Kale
By Eloise in St. John

Forbidden (black) rice:

(note: if you can’t find black rice, I’m sure wild rice or another hefty grain would also be good—but black rice is EXTRA good!)

1 c rice + 2.5 cups water. Bring to boil, cover, turn to simmer for about 45 minutes—cook until soft all the way through

Vegetables: 5 cups of diced --anything—whatever is about to go bad!

Beets
Carrots
Parsnips
Tomatoes
Red pepper

Put olive oil on a baking sheet lined with extra sturdy tin foil. Pour vegetables on top, add salt and pepper, then toss and flatten to one layer. (Cook root vegetables first for about 15 minutes, then add softer vegs if you’re using them)—total time about 30 minutes.

Presentation: For each serving, tear up pieces of kale and squeeze in a little olive oil with your hands—set aside until the rice salad is ready

Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3-1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 small or 3/4 large lemon, juiced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ t cumin
• ½ t garam masala
• sea salt and pepper

Whisk all and pour over rice/veg mixture, spoon on top of kale mixture.

View the recipe archives on our website for more inspiration. 

We encourage culinary creativity!  Send your own recipe to r2rfarm@gmail.com, and we will add it to an upcoming newsletter!

Ridge to Reef Farm @ the Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute
PO Box 2903
Frederiksted USVI 00841

340.220.0466
r2rfarm@gmail.com
www.ridge2reef.org

Good Afternoon!

This week you'll find some familiar vegetables in your CSA box, along with some new treats. We had our first harvest of Suyo Long cucumbers - as the name suggests, they are quite large, and take on a straight or curved appearance depending on where they grew on the plant's vine. Slice them up for a refreshing and crispy addition to your salad, or soak it in vinegar, salt and sugar for a quick pickle. 

You are also recieving bananas this week! Bananas are actually the fruit of an herbaceous flowering plant that is a monocot, which means it's related to grasses (not trees). Bananas are harvested when they are fully mature, but still green. Their sweetness develops as they ripen and turn yellow, which takes a few days to a week once they are off of the plant. Green bananas can be eaten as a starch, like a potato- the simplest preparation is to boil them, with the skins removed either before or after cooking (click the link for this website for instructions).

The other newcomer to your box is the Red Noodle yardlong bean. They are a tropical bean that can be prepared and eaten just like green beans - the only difference is the length (and color). Just chop them up into smaller sections (usually one or two inches) and enjoy! 

We're thrilled to be in the midst of the harvest season with you!
  

Claudia Seixas & Jim Marzluff

R2R Farm Production Managers

Tatsoi is an Asian green in the Brassica family, with a taste that's milder than mustard greens, and a texture and appearance similar to bok choy. Other names for it include chinese spinach and rosette bok choy; its leaves grow on a long stem and together form a rosette cluster. 

Tatsoi is delicious and versatile when cooked in a stir fry or soup, and can also be eaten raw.

This nutrient-dense green's popularity is growing, and with street cred like this, it's no wonder why: they are high in beta-carotene and Vitamins A, C, and K; they also have good amounts of calcium, potassium, phosphorous and iron.

Enjoy your tatsoi! Let us know what you think, and share with us any creative uses you come up with for it -- r2rfarm@gmail.com.

Please search our newsletter database to find strange foods and their uses from past CSA seasons.


Farm Recipes

I love a quick and easy harvest stir-fry with whatever fresh veges and greens are available -- today it was turnip roots (cut into half moons), romano beans (cute into bite-size squares), and mizuna greens and tatsoi (cut into 1" lengths).

After heating olive oil, garlic, roots and beans for several minutes in a covered  skillet, stirring occasionally, I tossed in greens for the last few minutes, until slightly wilted but still nice and green. That's it, done. YUM.  

Sometimes it's nice to let the flavors of the harvest come through on their own like that.  But if you're looking to spice things up a bit, see how long it takes you to salivate at the recipe below. Adding mizuna and mustard greens would give it extra mm's. :)

Remember, no matter what ingredients you use, the only one you really taste is love. We are so happy to grow this food, and the food is happy to grow for you (we can tell by how big and vibrant and healthy it is :) And your happiness makes us even happier! So have fun with your food, let it bring you closer together and nourish your body, mind and soul. We are so glad you are here with us, what a beautiful time to be alive and celebrate! There is abundance in the fields, in our communities, and our hearts.


One Love

~ Sarah


Gingery Sauteed Tat-Soi with Tofu Steaks

Serves 2

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 ounces extra firm tofu, cut into "steaks" [could substitute fish]
1 tablespoon sesame oil, divided
2 small bunches of tat-soi [and any other CSA veges or greens you want to throw in!]
1-2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

In a small bowl whisk all ingredients from soy sauce through cayenne pepper.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, add 2 teaspoons sesame oil. Add tofu steaks; cook for 5-7 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Remove from skillet. Add remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil to skillet; add tat soi; once wilted, add sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook just until sauce slightly thickens.

Divide greens on plates. Top with half of the tofu. Drizzle with remaining sauce, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately, [with rice if desired].

Source: http://foodblogga.blogspot.com/2009/05/what-is-tat-soi.html

View the recipe archives on our website for more inspiration. 


We encourage culinary creativity!  Send your own recipe to r2rfarm@gmail.com, and we will add it to an upcoming newsletter!

This Week's Harvest
Bananas
Cucumbers
Red Noodle Beans
Bok Choy
Collard Greens
Tatsoi (Chinese Spinach)
Mizuna
Green Leaf Lettuce
Cilantro



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!

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

Ridge to Reef Farm @ the Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute
PO Box 2903
Frederiksted USVI 00841

340.220.0466
r2rfarm@gmail.com
www.ridge2reef.org

Part of being a certified organic farm that we know all too well is record keeping, but this week we can focus on record breaking! The CSA is full, 90 members strong, and a waiting list is going (we are careful at first, but we could add more memberships if things keep going this well)!

This season is 3 times any prior season for the CSA and we are just getting started. It seems every week in the past 4 years of Ridge to Reef Farm things have been progressing slowly and surely, with set-backs and challenges aplenty but still a consistent march towards reaching our long-term food production goals.

With the new leadership of farm production managers Jim and Claudia, the farm crew's production and direction have taken flight. Make sure to show them and farm crew your appreciation when you can! You can join our discussions on our facebook page to do this any time!

Today marks a milestone, as we begin the largest and most expansive CSA that the region has ever seen! The collards were selected, sliced and washed. The root crop radishes and turnips were pulled, shaken, and dunked. The bok choy, tatsoi, and mizuna greens were carefully cut, rinsed, and boxed. The herbs were selected to promote future growth, and banded in robust bunches. For some, banana trees fell, and for others, fresh roasted coffee from our eco-conscious friends in Puerto Rico was unsealed for the first time and placed in smaller 1 pound bags and then again heat sealed for maximum freshness.

In the end, I could hardly believe that is all fit in our new converted passenger/now delivery van that we scored from the old Hovensa fleet! It was high-fives and huge smiles all around the farm crew as we celebrated another record-  Best use of any Hovensa asset in history! Now if we could just figure out a way for the donkeys to pull it to the dock... hmmm

We also want to thank our wonderful pick-up host locations. Teres Veho in Frederiksted, Miriams's in Christiansted, Barefoot Buddha in St. Thomas, and the Gifft Hill EARTH program in St. John! These places all completely VOLUNTEER their rented or owned spaces to make it convenient for the farmers and shareholders to link. Please show them some appreciation, and also look into their services, goods, and programs that you can help be a part of. Remember, we are all ONE community, bonded in healthy food, and these community hubs are essential for our collective success. So, THANKS HOSTS!

Finally, please remember to bring your own bags to the pick-up. Most of the places actually sell re-usable bags in case you forget:) We are trying to save 100% of our new waxed boxes for re-use, to save our landfills and pocketbooks. So please leave our boxes at the pick-up locations.

Send us your notes, comments, praises, criticisms, and recipes to info@visfi.org or call 220-0466. We love hearing your feedback. It actually makes your product better! Also, if you want to write a love poem to your turnips or a replay of your family cooking nights, we would LOVE to publish them in our newsletter to share. Well, keep the turnip thing kid-friendly if you can.

We are now all ONE food community. Growing to new heights. Fruiting to healthier proportions. Symbiotically living together, with more than a token of abundance from the fertile land of our US Virgin Islands.

Looking around and seeing the magic happen daily, I'd say that things are growing quite nicely.

Humbled by you,

Nate Olive & the Ridge to Reef Crew

www.ridge2reef.org 

WTF (What's That Food)?

Mizuna is Japanese for "water greens" and is a Brassica. Described as "perfectly delicate" with a "mildly sweet and tangy flavor", these flavorful greens can be eaten raw in salads or added to pastas, soups and stir-fries. When cooked, the greens reduce in size by about half.

Mizuna is high in iron, folic acid, vitamin A and carotenoids, and vitamin C. It also contains glucosinolates, antioxidants that help prevent certain cancers.

Please search our newsletter database to find strange foods and their uses from past CSA seasons.


From the Field...

Hello CSA members!

Our names are Jim and Claudia, and we’re your farmers this season at Ridge to Reef.  This week is the start of the prime growing season at Ridge to Reef, and you’re now receiving what a CSA in the U.S. would get in the spring and summer – greens, beans, roots and herbs! 

These crops are some of the most nutrient dense foods we grow. The Asian greens you received (tatsoi, mizuna and bok choy) are packed with vitamins C and A, lots of calcium and iron, and they’re at the perfect stage to stir-fry or braise for a quick side dish.  The basil is some of the most aromatic we’ve seen– the heat and sunshine in this climate really bring out the sweetness and flavor of the produce! Romano beans are a large flat Italian green bean – prepare them as you would other green beans – sautéed, steamed or stir-fried. Both the roots and the greens of the turnips are edible and delicious! They have a mild, sweet flavor – for a simple preparation, sauteé the roots until they’re golden brown, add the greens and cook until wilted, then season with salt. You can also roast the turnips or eat them raw, thinly sliced or grated in salads.  Try out the recipe for quick-pickled radishes – the radishes magically loose their spice and transform into a sweet and crunchy palette-cleanser. We expect a season jam-packed with both familiar favorites and new organic vegetables and fruits, and are excited to share the bounty with you. 

A little more background about us - Claudia grew up in New Jersey, and graduated from Swarthmore College in Environmental Studies & Art. In her free time as a student, she started and managed an organic garden. After graduating, she farmed at an 11-acre urban non-profit farm in California’s Silicon Valley, growing food for its CSA and farmstand. Taking a break from California, she got a Fulbright fellowship to teach English and study Agroecology in the Amazon region of Brazil for a year, right along the river just 2 degrees from the equator. She continued her farming education with a certificate in Ecological Horticulture at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC), where she fine-tuned skills from French-intensive gardening to CSA management. She’s thrilled to be able to combine her knowledge of tropical and mainland agriculture here in the Virgin Islands.

Jim grew up in Charleston, South Carolina.  His earliest memory as a child was sheltering in the kitchen with his family as hurricane Hugo passed over the city. He studied Plant Biology in college and met Claudia at the garden, where he also became a manager. He worked for the USDA in Charleston, collecting data from hot pepper and bean field trials. Switching his focus from plant and farm research to farming, he also attended and graduated from the Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture at UCSC.  Afterwards, he moved up to southern Oregon and apprenticed at a very successful 20-acre organic vegetable farm, learning only the best techniques and skills from his mentor farmer. Last year, Jim farmed at a start-up farm on the central coast of California, where he grew food for restaurants, farmers markets, and a CSA. He’s excited to bring high standards of quality and consistency to the CSA.

We want appreciate the hard-working crew at the farm- Matt, Sarah, Troy, Don, Jean, Nate, Shelli, Kareem and all the volunteers that take care of the land, plants, animals and people here, and are providing healthy organic food to the islands.

Look forward to growing with you,

Claudia Seixas & Jim Marzluff

R2R Farm Production Managers

This Week's Harvest
Arugula
Mizuna
Romano Beans
Bok Choy
Radishes
Turnips
Tatsoi
Cilantro
Thai or Genovese Basil
Collard Greens

Farm Food Recipes

Turnip Fritters
(Serves 2)

2 (or more) turnips, grated
2 eggs
1/2 tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp coconut oil

1. In a bowl, combine grated turnips, eggs, flour, cinnamon, and ginger, and stir until well-combined.
2. Heat half of the coconut oil in a frying pan.
3. Take a heaping tablespoon of the mixture and drop it in the pan, flatten with the back of your spoon to turn it into a fritter. Repeat until you've got about 4 to 5 fritters in your pan and used up half of the mixture.
4. Fry the fritters for a few minutes on both sides until browned and transfer them to a plate.
5. Heat the remaining coconut oil in the pan and repeat the process with the rest of the turnip mixture.
6. Serve hot and enjoy!

Source: http://paleofoodie.blogspot.com


Quick Pickled Radishes
(Makes about 1 pint jar)

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
4 allspice berries
2 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
1 bunch fresh radishes, washed, trimmed & thinly sliced

1. Combine all ingredients except for the radishes in a small saucepan set over medium-low heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring a few times along the way. Take off of the heat once the mixture begins to boil and all of the salt and sugar has dissolved. This is your brine.

2. Place radishes in a jar and pour the brine over them. You can keep the whole spices and bay leaf in the jar, too, if you like. Allow to cool, uncovered. Once the brine is room temp or cooler, seal the jar and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving. These will keep in the fridge for up to a month.

Source: http://onehungrymama.com

View the recipe archives on our website for more inspiration.


We encourage culinary creativity!  Send your own recipe to r2rfarm@gmail.com, and we will add it to an upcoming newsletter!



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 advantage of this one of a kind 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 got 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!

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

Christmas Winds

Never mind that October was the driest on record. Forget that November has been one of the hottest and most humid in memory. The Christmas winds are coming. In fact, they might already be here.

One of our seedling benches we've had out since May, now heavy with the bulging weight of trays and trays of new starts for the winter season CSA, lost its clear plastic roof to the increasing gusts. Even as we got a soaking rain last week, it seems dry already. This is the time to get those seedlings in the ground, and we are moving fast to do so. 

Before our farm manager Patrick leaves on Friday, he is finishing up our irrigation upgrades as we open up 4 additional acres for  winter plantings. New Managers jim and Claudia have been busy raising their new crops and before we know it we will be in the most productive cycle in Ridge to Reef or VISFI history! 

CSA Winter 2013 Memberships are selling like johnny cakes in our first round of member renewals, as we have finally figured out all the daunting logistics of getting our food across the territory. So far, just under half of last year's 78 different members have renewed, and with additional commitments made, we hope to get at least a 75% return rate before the registration period ends Dec 31. It is time now to go to the waiting list, so if you want to renew, please do so soon, because once it's full, it's full, even if it's before the 31st:)

We have officially one more week in the Fall season, only to St. Thomas since we had two weeks canceled in the season due to boat issues. Then we will get a nice little break before launching into the winter season on Jan 31st! 

The winds bring change. They stroke the hills and lands with pure energy. They carry us through the interval between the seasons. This year, they carry us through not only an annual seasonal change, but a monumental period of celestial events surrounding the cycling of the Mayan calendar. What kind of affect will this have on our new legions of food crops? We don't know, but we are open for changes, and we surelywelcome the blessed winds!

Sincerely,


     Nate
____________________________________________________

From the Field...

Hello CSA members!

We’ll be your farmers at Ridge to Reef Farm for the Winter 2013 Season. Our names are Jim and Claudia – we just moved to the island from Santa Cruz, California. We’ve spent the last 3 years learning how to farm. We’re excited to be in St. Croix, and have lots on our plates to prepare for a season full of delicious fruits and vegetables!

A few months ago our fields were sown with a nitrogen-rich cover crop, Sunn Hemp (Crotalaria) to provide nutrients to our soil. Now, with the yellow flowers of the Sunn Hemp in peak bloom, we’re preparing the field with a tractor to get it ready to plant our young seedlings. At the same time we’re sowing seeds like heirloom tomatoes, genovese basil and sweet pepper in trays where they’ll stay under the protection of a hoophouse until they’re old enough to be put in the ground.

We hope you continue as CSA members, and we look forward to meeting all of you!


Claudia Seixas & Jim Marzluff, R2R Farm Managers

____________________________________________________

FARM WISH LIST

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

Last season we got 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!

• shallow, sturdy plastic trays
• milk crates
• plastic bags
• coolers
• zip-locks
• popsicle sticks
• tarps/canvas/sails/rope
• any working garden tools
• chainsaw, weed-eater
• carpentry
• sign-making, any plywood or wood we can use for signs (non -treated)
• your CSA bags
• egg cartons
• feedback
  

M2M (Member to Member)

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

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

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

We look forward to your responses!



Ridge to Reef Farm @ the Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute
PO Box 2903 - Frederiksted USVI 00841 - www.visfi.org - 340.220.0466 - info@visfi.org

This Week's Harvest

Green-leaf Lettuce

Red-leaf Lettuce

Fall salad mix

Chaya

Bananas

Bok Choy

Moringa Leaves

_________________________

FARM RECIPES

Bok Choy Stir Fry

Dennis just whipped up this deilghtful dish for us after we all returned from the beach last weekend.

Stir fry dishes are a simple and easy way to use up your leftovers and farm produce. For this meal, we used some extra veges left over from the Slow Down Dinner the night before, along with fresh bok choy and peppers. We encourage you to be creative and make it your own with what you have available!

Ingredients

Bok Choy
Seasoning peppers
Onion
Ginger, freshly grated
Soy Sauce
Olive oil


Preparation

Chop onions and saute in olive oil. Add seasoning peppers, ginger, and soy sauce. Allow flavors to meld together. Peel and wash bok choy leaves and add to stir fry. Cook until they are tender and wilted. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Want more inspiration?
Look through our recipes database compiled from over 20 weeks of CSA in 2012!

___________________________

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!

You'd like to come up another day of the week? Just contact us at 340.220.0644.

THANK YOU HOSTS!

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

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

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

"Imagine what it would be like to be free!" This is the kind of perspective our forefathers and mothers had to inspire within their community before they would get up, stand up, and fight for their basic rights as humans who may shape their own destiny. We see this in the American Independence Day celebrated this week.
We also see it for the lesser known July 3rd event, known as Emancipation Day. On this day in 1848, 30,000 Crucians led by "General Buddhoe" marched to Frederiksted, demanded and received freedom from slavery, a full 15 years before slaves were declared free in the US.

I imagine that for many in that day it must have been very hard to see a vision of freedom ahead, but clearly, when they did on a community-wide scale, it was not only possible despite the odds, it became inevitable.

So I ask you now to:

Imagine what it will be like to have a strong local & sustainably grown food system in place in the USVI.

Imagine the USVI once again creating an example of freedom for other places like the US, by paving the way with a secure, sovereign food supply.

Imagine the fish returning to the reefs.

Imagine nature improved by agriculture verses being destroyed by it.

Imagine your family's health improving and the children in the USVI receiving the nutrition needed for healthy development, with real food that also helps reduce allergies and other avoidable physical and mental illnesses.

Imagine us as a culture that treats our food with thoughtfulness and respect. 

All of this makes me wonder something else. How did over 40,000 residents on one island get by without food imported from all corners of the world? I'm just sayin. Imagine.

Speaking of imagination, we have had to come up with some quick solutions to replace some significant vegetable losses in our main production area, primarily to deer and the extreme dryness in the past month. The okra, cucumbers, beans, and even some peppers were practically decimated by the deer, also driven by their own thirst and hunger in dry times. 

As a result of our recent losses, you will see more amounts of our "hero" crops and value-added products and more young and tender sprouts and microgreens as we have moved towards smaller rapid-crops that are not placed in the field and fruits that are more resilient to harsh conditions. We still have more tricks up our sleeve.

There is a lot of work to this, and we appreciate any volunteer help you may be able to offer. Even if you could come read a book in our garden, that would help repel the deer just with your presence!  

Yes, I can imagine. And it looks like now.

In gratitude,

Nate, Director

WTF (What's That Food)? 

This week's strange food item: Moringa leaf powder 

Moringa is making its way into people's heads and shopping carts due to its super powers. At Ridge to Reef Farm we harvest the leafs, pods and flowers. The leafs are dried in our solar dehydrator for a few days depending on how cloudy or sunny it is. After that it is ground and filled into bags to protect it from moisture.

How to use it:

Moringa leaf powder is as easy to use as the Moringa tree's flowers. Generally Moringa leaf powder can be added to any food or beverage and it will increase the vitamin, mineral and protein content. Just add a few spoonfuls of the powder after your meal is prepared, just before serving. Like this the nutrient content will not be decreased by expsosing it to heat. 

It is also possible to use it in tea. It is said that it helps gain energy, clean your system and lose weight. Try it out and tell us your results. :)

Recipes

Mustard Greens/ Chaya in white wine sauce
by Troy

You need:
Mustard Greens/ Chaya
White wine
Shallots
Garlic
Turmeric
Black pepper
Sea salt


Directions:
Cook shallots with garlic, turmeric, black pepper and sea salt in pan. Brown the bottom of the pan with that. 

Add white wine to make it a sauce and stir to consistency. Then add mustard greens or boiled (for 10 minutes) shredded Chaya. Toss in sauce and cover until the desired tenderness is reached. 5 minutes before taking off the lid, add more white wine to cook off. 

Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Meet the farmers...

The first group of really awesome kids have said good-bye to move on with their summer camp program at another location on the island. It has been a pleasure to have had the young farmers here. We give lots of thanks, too!

From the field...

Basil, Papaya, Chaya, Banana, Malabar Spinach, Peppers, and Moringa are the heroes of this season. They are holding their head high and proud, facing the summer heat and bearing fruit.

Many other crops are not able to adapt that easily or it is simply not their season like for example tomatoes or cucumbers. Chances are that if you find these crops at the moment sold as local in the territory, they are not grown organically. 

Speaking about drought and having a bad stomach feeling about the following weeks, the rain seems to come back and farmers can exhale for a moment. The past two days we had some awesome showers. Short but powerful. It lets us hope there will be some relief to the tough growing conditions this summer.

~ Nadja, former apprentice


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

Farmer of the Week

Kayla Sinotte, our current Ridge to Reef student, has been a great mentor for the summer camp kids! Side by side with every other man she has also been sweating in the heat of the summer sun learning how to work the fields.
 

The Week's Harvest

Moringa leaf powder
Mustard Greens
Green Bananas
Sprouts
Chaya
Beans
Basil
Passion Fruits
Cucumbers
Lettuce Heads


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

The heat is on in Caledonia and summer is in full force just after last week's Summer Solstice! This means we are watching closely our plants and trying our best to keep everything and everyone well watered and happy.

It also means our summer camp has started, where the kids are learning how to farm organically while earning service credits for their high schools across the country. Led by Patrick, the farm crew and our Ridge to Reef students are showing our visitors the ropes in the field. Shelli is taking the craft and product-making to new levels with the kids, so that after a hard day in the hot field they get to lime out in the shade carving out a calabash bowl or making a traditional fishing net out of natural fibers.

Facing difficult growing conditions and extreme dryness, we are switching this week to more short-term crops and quick-turn-around items that will coming out next months, since we can't grow the full lettuces without them bittering in the heat as they try to bolt (shooting flower stalk).


The lessons of growing seasonally go hand-in-hand with eating seasonally, and we are glad you are getting the insights of the process of what it takes to grow local organic food in the VI. I am extremely proud of our farm crew, students, visitors, and volunteering CSA members for facing the heat with joy to keep our season pumping strong. Together, we are revolutionizing our islands' food system one week at time!


Also, we are starting to post our past season's digital newsletters on our new site, www.ridge2reef.org so you can get access to past recipes and much more! They will be added over the next week for you!

Thanks for growing with us,

Nate 

WTF (What's That Food)? 
This week's strange food item: Moringa flowers, Moringa oleifera  

Moringa, also called a miracle tree, is a staple at the farm. It is nutritious, has super powers and works well in almost every meal. Due to the taste of its roots Moringa is also known as the horseraddish tree. Cause of the appearance of the long and thin seed pods it is called drumstick tree as well. It is widely used in hot areas like Africa and South East Asia for years.

It is a multi-purpose tree and fulfills a very high percentage of the human basic needs like purifying water.

Find out more about Moringa here (source: Discovery Channel)

In today's produce bag you will find Moringa flowers. 

How to use it:

They can be used as tea, in salad, in soups, on top of eggs, in casseroles, on pizza, raw, sauteed, cooked or fried. You can definitely become creative. Whatever you do, it will be great for your body.

Moringa Flower Power

You need:
moringa flowers
moringa tender leaves
chopped chives 
chopped garlic flakes
1 egg
cumin
oil
cooked rice - half cup
salt and pepper - to taste. 

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a pan add cumin seeds, chives, chopped garlic and stir well.
2. Add clean washed moringa flowers and tender moringa leaves and again stir fry for a minute.
3. Beat the egg with little salt and pepper.
4. Add the beaten egg to the stir fried moringa flower mix.
5. Add hot rice and mix well.

Serve Immediately. Enjoy! 

Look at the original recipe here.

Diary of 2 Overland summer campers...

The first day

"Driving up the driveway with 12 other kids we had just met was a little unarming considering the fact that we were about to spend a week working on a tropical farm with them. But as soon as we arrived to Ridge To Reef Farm, the staff welcomed us with big smiles and open arms. They were so excited that we were going to be helping them out on their farm. Moseying up to the community center, we were all extremely tired from the plane rides we had taken earlier, and they welcomed us with a warm and delicious dinner.

After sleeping the first night in our cabanas, we woke up ready to work, and after a delicious breakfast of pancakes with banana spread, we were definitely put to work. We were shown how to rake the mulch off of a field in order to place it in the garden that they were building at the top of the hill.

At first, we were taken back by the size of the field and the hot Caribbean sun, but after a few minutes the great company and the support of the staff made the job so much more enjoyable.

After lunch we went with Shelli, one of the staff members at the farm, and learned to camouflage ourselves so that we could blend into the surrounding rainforest. Finally we ended our activities by jumping in the near-by lake and swimming for hours.

By the end of the day, we were full of new information, fresh memories, good food, and had experienced many new adventures on the farm. 

~ Katie Van Duyne from Washington and Meghan O'Hara from New York

From the field...

The current drought period already lasting a couple of weeks and a leak in our water system has not left the farm untouched. The cucumbers planted for the CSA dried out. And in fact all plants and vegetables are affected. Growth is slowing down. Fortunately we were able to find the leak and we fixed it right away. However, the need for rain still remains. 

Last week cucumbers and Asian Greens were replanted in the trellises and weeded the beds. Additionally bush beans and sunflowers in Ellen's patch have been planted. Our crew also transplanted Kale and Lettuce into the Gaia triangle. 

Moreover, we just got a donation of a rooster! Some kids found him after he was attacked by a Mongoose. He is well recovering at the moment to then return with full strength and claim his position as a protector and chief of our chicken coop.

~ Nadja, former apprentice


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

Farmer of the week
Samuel Wise, the dream of all farm managers. One of the first statements I heard was: "I just want to be out in the fields. It's what I like to do. There's not much more that I need". And so he rocks the fields of Ridge to Reef Farm. We're more than happy that he joined the team!


The Week's Harvest

Moringa flowers
Mustard Greens or Tatsoi
Green Banana
Okra or beans or turnips
Green Onions
Peppers
Basil
Passion Fruits
Chaya
Lettuce Mix 


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

MANY A TIME IS HAS BEEN SAID that the Virgin islands only have 2 seasons while the states have 4. It's time to set the record straight. We are entering "summer" today, on the longest day of the year. The solstice is just one of the markings of the many seasons here that are far more complex and nuanced than "wet" or "dry." 

We are just getting out of our high pressure end of spring and watching the potential for rain to re-enter our daily consciousness at the farm: Don't leave the boombox in the field. Roll up your windows at night. Get our swales, ditches, french drains, and gutters in shape. Take the swimsuit off the clothes line. 

Like the christmas winds season, when the Eastern Trade winds rake across the island and try to lift up our sheet mulch like magic carpets, this time of year is clearly marked as a transitional season. This time is a cue to cover those plants and think seriously about potential of strong storms and hotter days that want to bitter lettuce, cake the soil, and make us drip with effort. Or maybe we are just reveling in the past two days with some light rains that have dropped the temperature. They also made at least one person run out and dance.

Two seasons? There's a lot more at 17 and half degrees North than meets the eye. I've never actually counted, but I can identify at least 6 different times of year when the climate instructs our actions. You know, there's summer, the still hot time in late summer/early fall, rain season, the christmas winds, the dry coolish winter, and so on... Not to mention, there's also Mango, avocado, kennip, hogplum, LOCUST..... don't get me started!!

It is our wish that you enjoy the essence of this special VI season,

Nate 

WTF (What's That Food)? 

This week's strange food item: West Indian Locust, Hymenaea courbaril

The West Indian locust can be found throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central and South America. It thrives in moist forest regions. 

It is also known as Jatobá, Guapinol or Algarrobo. On St. Croix and Jamaica however it has another very special name. It is called Stinkin' toe, old man's toe or stinktoe. These names derive from its appearance and smell.

Even though not everyone appreciates the smell when the seed pod is cracked open, the pulp in the seed pod is deliciously sweet. As Nate puts it "when the crisp, pungent smell hits a stinking toe veteran's nose, it activates the salivary glands". You will find the white-cream colored pulp/powder already processed in your bags. We hope you enjoy it, it is a specialty and it waited 9 months on the tree to finally fall and supplement your food! 

How to use it:

West Indian Locust is perfect to prepare a nice dessert like ice cream, pudding or parfait (see recipes below). Chef Tahirah, our good friend, additionally recommends to add to your morning shake, smoothie or cereals. It is also common to make juice out of it.

In traditional folk medicine West Indian Locust is used extensively in traditional folk medicine. According to the Weed Women of the St. George Village Botanical Gardens on St. Croix, the smoke from copal resin helps alleviate headaches and rheumatism. 

More interesting info in the St. John beach guide

Recipes

West Indian Locust - Banana Pudding
by Troy

You need:
5 ripe bananas
1 CSA bag stinkin’ toe powder
3 tablespoons coconut oil
A dash of sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
Mash all ingredients together and let it cool in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Serve it as pure pudding, on ice cream or further experiment. Enjoy!

The following recipe has been part of our winter season's CSA newsletter, however we want to give the new members the chance to test it out, too.

West Indian Locust Parfait
by Chef Tahirah 

You need:
2 ½ tablespoons flour
2/3 cup cane/ natural sugar
1/3 cup locust Powder
2 ½ cups coconut milk
2 egg yolks – beat – (set egg whites aside)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
 
Directions:
Combine flour, sugar, locust powder and milk – stir – add and cook custard over double boiler – over boiling water – stir constantly – add beaten egg yolk – continue to cook until it thickens – now whip egg white – add salt and then fold together into the mix – set to cook. – put in freezer trays or bowl until frozen – serve in tall glosses.
Topper: whip cream, grinded chocolate, or fresh fruit.
 
Note: Locust powder has many purposes. You can make juice out of it or add it to your morning shake, to cereals, smoothies etc. 

Diary of a R2R student...

"  I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the farm upon my arrival. I am a masters student at the University of South Florida studying Global Sustainability. I can't imagine a better place to study than Ridge to Reef Farm, one of the the most practical permaculture farms in the world.

My first weekend on the farm we hosted two Slow Down Dinners with Chef Keith Weitzman. It was an incredible experience. People from the island came to the farm for a six course meal made from all organic, natural, (as much as possible) locally grown food. It was amazing to be able to share the knowledge on the farm with the people of the community. I am very excited to learn and study sustainability and permaculture design hands on for the next six weeks.

~ Kayla Sinotte, current Ridge to Reef Beneficial Farmer Training student

From the field...

The last two weeks have been really dry weeks. Pumping water has been and still is a daily activity. Watering the plants is definitely first priority at the moment.

A few young fruit trees and plants unfortunately didn't make it. The great side of the unusual dry season though, is that it is a great time to mow and weed the farm. A challenge for our bushmen is the buzzing life in the high grass, the vines and the trees. "You hear a humming sound, better drop everything and run", Nate says. Bees and wasps are enjoying their their little realm and don't want to be disturbed.

The chickens are also enjoying the nice sunny weather. They are cleaning their feathers by rolling in dried mud. Some of them manage to gain more freedom and scratch and roll around in the fields. The freshly planted dill became victim of these actions and will have to be replanted one of those days.

The egg production is going up and mongoose attacks become less. [Ed. note, Today we are also shipping a bag of frozen mongoose all captured in the hen tractors for a local bird sanctuary's hawk re-introduction program]

Gaia garden is now fully surrounded by a net and is safe from visits of deer and chickens at the moment, and hopefully forever. Bush beans, cranberry hibiscus, lettuce heads, basil and okra are all growing well there and can soon be enjoyed by you.

Another great news is that mangoes are in a full swing and passion fruits are dropping all over the farm and still haven't even hit the peek. If you find the time to visit your farm, you will be able to see many green passion fruits hanging on the vines getting ready to fall.

~ Nadja, former apprentice


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

Farmer of the week


Matt, holding it down and stepping up during the last two weeks while representing  Patrick, our farm manager. Believe me, he did an awesome job and is deserves to be called "farmer of the week"!
 


The Week's Harvest

Basil
Malabar Spinach
Green Banana
Okra or beans
Green Onions
Peppers
Eggs
West Indian Locust powder
Turnips
Passion Fruits
Komazuna Greens


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